Something Unexpected
by Litfreak89
Summary: Rumored to be dating, Harry and Hermione have been happy to let sleeping dogs lie. However, after each of them finds "the one," how will their little arrangement affect each of them?"
1. Relationships

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**_

_A/N: Another one of my favorite pairings. While I have never cared for Ron/Hermione, I've never minded that she end up as a Weasley. Just don't expect Harry to be with Ginny…_

* * *

"Harry, love, could you please turn that loud music down? It's a wonder our neighbors haven't beat down our door complaining about the noise!" Hermione Granger sighed as she heard her best friend and roommate's stereo's volume decrease slightly, but she decided not to push the issue. She knew music was the only way Harry could relax after working all day as an auror, and their neighbors had never complained before.

Hermione herself was already a successful healer, and she was attempting to pin down the catalyst by which a particular strain of Dragon Pox had entered the magical community. Most uninformed people would assume that dragons would be the only possible carriers of the virus, but Hermione and her colleagues had discovered that just about any warm body could act as an incubator for the dreaded disease.

"Any luck, Hermione? I don't like you working with such a contagious disease, especially with as much as you've been working lately. Your immune system is surely shot, and it's only a matter of time before you come down with Dragon Pox yourself." Harry walked over to his best friend and looked over her shoulder.

"Harry, I'm fine. I take certain potions every day to protect me…"

"And I've had enough training to know that those potions are useless unless you are eating and sleeping properly, neither of which you've been doing since getting this case. Come on; let's go grab a bite. There's a new Italian place I've wanted to try out since it opened." Harry fixed himself where he was looking directly in her eyes, his green orbs pleading helplessly for her to cave into his every whim.

"Potter…"

"Granger." Harry raised an eyebrow.

"Fine, you win. Let me go change out of these robes. I don't think these will be appropriate in a muggle restaurant."

Harry and Hermione were currently sharing a flat in muggle London. Ron had currently moved in with his girlfriend Leslie, a Hufflepuff who had graduated a year after the trio had returned for their seventh year. The wizarding press had determined that the remaining two of the Golden Trio were in a secret relationship, and Harry and Hermione were currently content to let everyone believe that. Not that anything was going on; however, it was nice to not have to hunt down a date for a ball or other Ministry event, and it kept other wizards and witches off their backs for now. While they were becoming acclimated to their new jobs, the two friends felt like they didn't have time for relationships.

Changed into muggle clothing, Harry and Hermione walked out of their flat, locked their door, and made their way to Bianchi's, a small restaurant not far from their flat that had a patio out back to cater to the romantic nature every Italian has buried deep inside.

The "couple" was seated at a private table in the back of the restaurant. They kept up appearances in the muggle world knowing that muggleborn wizards and witches were just as curious about the lives of the great Harry Potter and his "love" Hermione Granger as any other magical being. After looking at the menu and ordering, Harry leaned close and looked into his companion's eyes.

"Hermione…"

The girl in question batted her eyelashes and blushed. "Yes, Harry?"

Harry smiled and reached across the table toward Hermione. He reached around her and said seriously, "Your tag is sticking out of your dress, love." Harry grinned as he fixed the offending tag.

Hermione propped her chin in the palm of her hand and sighed. "Oh, Harry, your way with words…I could just swoon!"

The two began laughing and discussing their day, Harry venting his frustrations with his new boss Brennan Gregor and Hermione telling Harry about setbacks with immunizations for Dragon Pox.

"I swear, Harry," Hermione exclaimed as their food was placed in front of them, "it's like we're missing _one_ thing, just one ingredient, one sample that could help us break this case open!"

Harry placed his hands over hers. "If anyone can figure this out, you can Hermione. Now, I have news."

"Oh?" Hermione raised her eyebrows.

"I met someone."

Hermione smiled. "Oh! That type of news!"

Harry grinned. It had been a long time since she had seen her best friend this happy. "Yeah. She's great. Her name is Natalia, and she's a new recruit in our division. Gregor brought her in about a month ago, and we've been tiptoeing around each other since. I finally asked her to have dinner with me today, and she accepted."

"Does she know about…"

"Us? I don't think she's heard about us yet. I'm going to talk to her about it when we go out tomorrow night."

Hermione twirled her pasta as she thought. "Harry? You still want to keep this going even though you have a date?"

Harry, having just taken a large bite of his chicken, just nodded until he finished chewing. "I do. Do you want to stop?"

"What if this relationship with Natalia develops…?"

"Then we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. How's it going with that Preston fellow at work?"

Hermione shot Harry an annoyed look. "That ignoramus? No thank you. Besides, he transferred to Paris about two weeks ago."

"No prospects then?"

"When I have the delectable Harry Potter to myself? Of course not!" Hermione didn't bother to tell Harry that their plan was working extremely well in the wizarding world. Every guy she had even a remote interest in had heard of her "relationship" with Harry and had ruled her as taken. She had hoped his finding a new girl might let him consider her plight, but no such luck yet. What she would do for her best friend!

Harry and Hermione quickly finished their meals and walked around the block, enjoying the cool night air. Harry turned to his friend. "Did you get Molly's owl today?"

"Yeah. Dinner at the Burrow on Sunday. It's been a while since I've been to one of those."

"Same here. I think Molly's hoping that Ron will announce an engagement or something. I hate to tell her that he and Leslie are perfectly content the way they are."

Hermione thought for a moment. "You know, they have those dinners every week. I know we're always invited, but this is the first invite we've gotten in a long time. You don't think…"

Harry, as usual, seemed to read her mind and said, "That Molly's waiting for an announcement from _us_?" He stopped. "Very well could be. I mean, we haven't addressed the rumors for anyone, including the Weasleys, so Molly's probably hoping for a proposal soon."

"Too bad, eh?" Hermione smiled up at Harry.

"Yeah. As much as I love you, it'd take a special man to spend the rest of his life with that brain of yours." Harry tugged at Hermione's hair lightly.

"And it'd take a special girl to take that inflated ego any time. I think I've done well." Hermione replied cheekily.

Harry laughed and put his arm around his best friend. "Come on, love. Let's head home. We have work tomorrow, and you need your sleep."

* * *

Harry's date went well, and he returned with the news that Natalia had taken the news of Hermione's involvement in Harry's life very well. She hadn't insisted that the two "break up" immediately, knowing why the two were using the cover of rumors. She had asked to meet Hermione, and Harry promised to bring her over the next week on a night Hermione wasn't too busy.

Dinner at the Burrow was an event in itself. Harry and Hermione decided to arrive together, but they were caught in a strong wind just as they popped into the Burrow's front yard. The result was a very ruffled Harry and Hermione when the door opened; Molly Weasley grinned widely and ushered the two in, babbling that it had been entirely too long since they had visited and should make it a point to visit more often.

Harry went off to find Ron; Leslie had not come due to some work for her college classes, so Harry figured Ron could use the company. Hermione offered to help Molly, but she was brushed off and told to "find a seat in the living room. Surely one of my kids can entertain you while Harry's off with Ron!" Molly had grinned at her own humor here, and Hermione sighed and went to the living room.

Just as she entered, a tawny owl was flying out and away from the only occupant in the room: Charlie Weasley.

Charlie looked up just as Hermione walked in the room and smiled. "Hermione! How's life?' He moved over and patted the seat beside him.

She sat down and smiled. "It's great except for the recent cases of Dragon Pox we've begun to find around here. There's a new strain, and we haven't been able to develop an immunization yet."

"Do you know the origin?"

"Not really. We can't determine how it's being carried."

Charlie sat back and thought. Hermione took the opportunity to look over the dragon tamer and recall everything she knew about him. He was a good-looking man, as all the Weasley men were, but there was something different about Charlie. Burn marks marred his otherwise perfect muscled arms, and a tattoo of a dragon of unknown species peeked out from under one of his sleeves that had been rolled up.

Charlie's red hair, which bordered on strawberry blonde because of constant exposure to sunlight, was cropped closely to his head now, despite his natural affinity for wearing it long. She'd heard that his long hair had become a hazard on the job, so he had sacrificed his long locks in exchange for a few more years.

Hermione nodded. The thirty-year-old sitting in front of her was definitely not a bad-looking man. She wondered, not for the first time, why he was still single.

"Hermione?" Charlie was looking at her funny.

The twenty-three-year old jerked out of her observation. "Yeah?"

"I was just saying that I thought that maybe the disease was being transferred like that muggle disease malaria; you know, by mosquito or another kind of bug. Or even a watering hole could be contaminated, especially if it's coming from one reservation."

Hermione nodded. "I like the watering hole idea. That would also mean, though, that other animals can be carriers."

Charlie agreed. "That's why we need to send someone from the department there to go look, to take some samples."

The more the two talked, the more ideas rolled out. Finally, Hermione had a question: "Charlie, why haven't you married, or why don't we ever see a girl with you?"

The man shrugged. "Just haven't found the right witch, I guess." Turning towards Hermione, Charlie stopped, mesmerized by her chocolate brown eyes. He continued, "I…I uh, the one girl who I've been waiting on for too long doesn't know I even care, and I plan on leaving it that way." Charlie couldn't comprehend telling a girl seven years his junior that he had had feelings for her since her fourth or fifth year at Hogwarts. He straightened up. "So, how are you and Harry doing?"

Thinking about what Harry wanted, she smiled at Charlie. "We're good. No complaints here."

Grumbling a bit, Charlie nodded "_Of course she's good. She's got bloody—Harry Potter with __her._

Soon, Hermione and Harry left together, and two pairs of eyes followed the couple: Molly Weasley and the bright blue eyes of a certain Dragon tamer.


	2. Contemplation

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**_

* * *

Charlie Weasley sighed as he made his way around his mother's living room. _Damn it all! The girl's not even twenty-four years old yet, and she has an old man lusting after her!_

Hermione Granger had certainly grown up, looking nothing like the young girl he had met almost twelve years ago when he had traveled to Hogwarts to pick up Norbert, the baby dragon the trio had been keeping secret for Hagrid. No, that Hermione had been twelve, much too young for his nineteen-year-old self to notice, and she had been all hair and teeth. Now, however, Healer Granger had tamed her hair, cutting the worst of it off, giving her the "young professional" look, and her teeth had been fixed while in school. She had developed curves in all the right places, and Charlie could barely keep his eyes focused whenever she was talking to him about…what had she been discussing with him tonight?

"Charlie! Are you sure you have to go back to Romania tomorrow? You know we're having Harry's birthday party next week, right?" Molly Weasley came into his room with a basket of his laundry that she had insisted on finishing before he left.

"I'm sure, Mum. I've been here a day longer than I should have anyway…The only reason my boss hasn't said anything is because I never take any time off!" Charlie began pulling shirts out of the laundry basket and packing them in his rucksack, and the shirts were quickly joined by pants and underwear.

"Merlin, Charlie; at least fold them!"

"Ah, Mum, they'll be wrinkled anyway in this. I'll take care of them when I get home. Thank you for taking care of my laundry though," he grinned, kissing Molly on the cheek.

"I just wish you'd find a nice girl who could do this for you. I don't think you're taking care of yourself," Molly began worriedly.

Charlie shook his head. "Mum, we've talked about this. Even if I did find a girl who'd have me, she might not want to do my laundry and cook for me." He didn't admit that he had Hermione Granger in mind when he said this. It was a known fact that Miss Granger let Harry take care of the meals at their flat, and as for laundry…well, Hermione had shown up wearing new clothes many times because of some accident or other that involved a muggle washing machine.

Not that it mattered. Hermione was with Harry now. He hadn't particularly let himself think about that, especially when she had been sitting so close to him on the couch. He'd let himself forget that the newspapers had been speculating at an upcoming proposal at the now "Golden Couple." He had to agree; the two had something special. They had been friends for twelve years, and everyone agreed that the two could communicate without even speaking. They already had a flat together, and they rarely left home without a grin in place. Charlie had accepted the facts: he'd lost Hermione Granger to The-Boy-Who-Lived a long time ago.

"Charlie, are you okay? I lost you there for a moment." Molly was waving her hand in front of his face. "I just said that I just want you to be happy, whether the girl cooks for you or not. But you have to start taking care of yourself!"

Charlie nodded. "I will, Mum. Now, how about you? Disappointed no announcements were made tonight?" He forced himself to smile, knowing one couple she had hoped to hear had made concrete plans.

Molly shook her head sadly. "I'll be glad when your brother and Harry grow up! Leslie and Hermione aren't the kind to wait around forever."

"Mum, if Hermione hasn't left Harry's sorry arse by now, he's stuck with her."

Molly chided her son for his language before relenting. "Very true. However, every girl wants to feel special. I can imagine that those two are waiting for the boys to wake up and see that they want to settle down!"

Charlie laughed and nodded. "Sure, Mum. Whatever you say." But he prayed to God that she was wrong, that at least one of those girls wasn't waiting for a proposal; maybe then he'd have a sliver of a chance.

* * *

Natalia Pearson checked her appearance once again, nervous about her date. Well, could she actually call it a date if she was meeting Harry's pretend girlfriend? She shook her head. Harry had assured her that she had nothing to worry about, that Hermione, as fierce as the papers made her out to be, was nothing but a teddy bear. After telling her that, he had looked frightened, but she had assured him that she wouldn't tell Hermione he had said that, and he'd visibly relaxed.

Her feelings for Harry Potter were somewhat complicated. When she had met him, she was taken aback by the thought of _this is the boy who defeated Voldemort?_ However, as she worked with him more and more, she came to realize his power and determination. He fought low-level dark wizards with the same ferocity he'd had when he defeated the Dark Lord, or at least that's what she'd been told. When she asked why, she'd been told that he'd vowed to never let anyone else die when he could do something about the cause. In just four years, he had worked his way up to team leader and was looking at squad leader very soon.

Natalia had quickly began to admire Harry, and not in the way that most witches admired him. The poor guy had a group of giggling fans just about everywhere they went, and the annoyed look on his face told the entire story about how he felt about these girls (and guys, to his chagrin). Natalia admired Harry for his strength, the passion he poured into his work. Also, she had never denied that he was a nice-looking bloke, with his raven-colored hair and green eyes. He had grown up from the bespectacled, too-thin boy who had been in the papers after Voldemort's demise.

Harry had taken notice of his new co-worker as well, and she did nothing to discourage him. Like he had told Hermione, they had flirted, never really getting anywhere for weeks, before he finally asked her out. She accepted and had a wonderful time on the date. However, she had known something was bothering him from the beginning. The poor guy was so easy to read.

"Harry? What's wrong?"

Harry's head jerked up from his dessert. "Wrong?"

Natalia nodded. "You've been miles away for quite a while. You okay?"

"I've got something to tell you."

_Here it comes. Some dark secret that I can never get over, that will force me to see that I have nothing in common with Harry Potter and this will never work out._ Natalia sighed and looked expectantly at Harry.

"I…well…I'm in sort of a relationship." Harry looked at her sheepishly.

"A…a relationship," she stated blandly. "You're in a bloody relationship, and you asked me out?"

"Let me explain!" Harry was quick to jump in. "You will let me explain, won't you?"

Figuring she had nothing to lose, she nodded. At least the bloke was being honest with her.

"Well, you've heard of my friends Ron and Hermione?" At her nod, he continued, "Right after the war, Ron, Hermione, and I went back to Hogwarts for our seventh year, and we hoped that would keep us out of the spotlight a while. However, we were invited to numerous balls and parties celebrating the defeat of Voldemort. We finally graduated, and we bought a flat together, the three of us. However, not long after we settled in, Ron began dating a girl he had met while we were at Hogwarts. Apparently, they had had something going on while we were in school because they were very serious, and as soon as she was through with school, Ron moved out and left Hermione and me by ourselves.

"This wasn't the first time Hermione and I have been left to fend for ourselves, but this time we had the press looking at us. With Ron gone and our still living together, the papers automatically concluded that we were involved and had taken our relationship to the next level. We were all ready to set the record straight when we noticed something."

Natalia, who had been listening attentively, inquired, "What?"

"My fangirls. No, they weren't _happy_ with the situation, but they respected Hermione's power enough that they stayed away from me. People have come up to me, telling me that it was just a matter of time before we got together. The thing is, that although I may have once had feelings like that for her, I now know that we could never work out that way. I love Hermione Granger, and she loves me, but we're not _in love_. We're blatantly using one another, and we've never hidden it from each other."

Natalia had laughed in shock. The wizarding world though Harry and Hermione were a couple, but there was nothing going on? She'd always figured Healer Granger was her biggest competition for Harry Potter's heart, and now she was hearing that Harry didn't love her that way?

"So…? Are you angry?" Harry had an anxious look on his face.

She had shaken her head. "I like you, Harry Potter, and I believe you. But just to prove something to myself, I'd like to meet Hermione. Is that possible?"

Harry's eyes had lit up, and he had begun nodding immediately. "Of course. Hermione would love to meet you! How about you come to our flat next week one night? I'll see when Hermione has an evening off and owl you?"

Natalia had smiled and agree, anxious to meet the girl who was obviously so important to Harry Potter.

* * *

She was putting the final touches on her appearance when she heard her doorbell ring. Smiling, she answered it and was greeted by a very handsome dark-haired wizard.

"Evening, Natalia. You didn't have to go through all of this trouble, but I'm glad you did," Harry smirked as he bent down to kiss her cheek.

"Of course I did. Have to make a favorable impression on this girlfriend of yours," she replied cheekily.

"Who, I'm reminded, is watching dinner, so we'd better get going. We're liable to not have a kitchen if we leave her alone cooking for too long." Harry allowed Natalia to grab her things and apparated them out of her flat and into his. As soon as they landed, he took off toward the kitchen, where a faint smell of smoke could be detected.

"Hermione! I was gone five minutes! What could you have done in that span of time to make broccoli look like _that_?"

Natalia sat on the sofa and laughed at the bickering in the kitchen. The two truly did sound like two siblings arguing about the best way to finish dinner, which ended with Harry kicking Hermione out of the kitchen. Natalia looked up as an embarrassed-looking brunette quietly made her way to the living room.

"Natalia?"

"I take it you're Hermione?" Natalia stood up to greet her hostess.

"That's right," Hermione replied. "Sorry about…that. He knows better than to leave me with food on the stove. It seems to know that I'm in control, and everything falls apart."

"So Harry's the cook around here?" Natalia inquired.

"Most definitely. I can barely make tea, and that's only because the kettle lets me know when it's ready. I'm much better with potions. They have very specific instructions with them."

Natalia decided that, for the moment, she liked Hermione. She seemed just as bright and sweet as she had heard she was; however, she still wanted to _see_ Harry and Hermione interact. She had to see if it was as innocent as they claimed it to be.

Dinner was finally served, and Natalia noticed with a smile that there was no broccoli on the table. The guest bit into the piece of ham that had been placed on her plate, and her eyes widened. "Oh my God, this is amazing! Harry, I didn't know you could cook like this!"

Harry blushed at her compliment, and Hermione laughed. "If he couldn't cook, we'd starve! However, he does like his pizza and takeout quite a bit, so I guess we _could_ survive."

"Well, I get tired of my own cooking, and by the time we both get home, it's pretty late. Plus, if I didn't actually drag you out and make you eat something, you'd probably never eat. If you're anywhere near your work, that has your attention."

Natalia watched the two, and even though Harry and Hermione fussed over each other during the meal, it was obvious that it was totally platonic. Especially with the looks Harry would send her way. Hermione noticed, and smiled, causing a blush to appear on Natalia's face.

"So, you two, you have plans tonight?"

"Actually, I thought we might grab a coffee or tea?" Harry looked at Natalia for confirmation.

Natalia nodded. "That sounds great. Here, Hermione, let me help you clean up first."

However, Hermione waved her off. "It won't take me three minutes to get these washed and put up. Thank you though. You two have fun, and I'll see you both later!"

Harry watched Hermione leave the room, and he turned to look at Natalia. "I'll be right back." Natalia nodded as Harry followed his best friend out of the room. Feeling wrong for doing it, but needing to at the same time, the girl leaned against the door listening.

"So…?"

"So…? What Harry?"

"She's great, isn't she?"

Hermione laughed. "She is, but you don't need my confirmation on this subject, Harry. You're a big boy!"

"You know I'm shite with women, Hermione."

"That I do, but if you like her, that's all that matters. But, for what it's worth, I think you and she make a great couple. Just…"

"Just what?"

"We need to decide when we're going to stop our charade, Harry. The papers get a hold of Natalia, you know how she'll be painted. The girl who…"

"Broke up the Golden Duo. I know. We'll talk later, Hermione." When Harry walked out of the kitchen, Natalia was looking over Hermione's book collection with great interest. However, for the rest of the evening, her mind was on Harry and Hermione's conversation. Just how far was she willing to go for Harry Potter?"


	3. Worry

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**_

* * *

Hermione blew an errant curl out of her face. Even though she had cut her hair and made it more manageable, she had not taken the time lately to style it as it should be. The result: short, frizzy curls that annoyed the hell out of her.

She still had not found the missing catalyst for the mysterious Dragon Pox; she and Charlie Weasley, the new director at the local dragon reserve, as well as the assistant director of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, had been looking for possible sources of the disease, but at the moment, they were out of luck. Three more cases had been reported in the last week, and even with magic, the most the healers could do was make the ones suffering as comfortable as possible. Out of the fifteen reported cases in London, four had died. Hermione had made it her own possible goal to find the source of the disease before she lost another patient.

* * *

Harry was worried about his best friend. She had lost weight since taking the Dragon Pox case, and despite her view of herself, Hermione Granger could not afford to lose much weight. She spent every possible moment in her offices (at home and work) or out in the field with Charlie Weasley, tracking down possible sources of the virus. When she wasn't at those places, she was tending her patients, making sure each had the best possible care and, if they were able, asking them where they could have possibly picked up the disease.

_This has to stop. She's going to be next!_ Harry decided to make sure that Hermione thought nothing of Dragon Pox for an entire day.

On Saturday morning, six weeks after Harry and Natalia began dating, Harry called his girlfriend with whom he had a date that night.

" 'lo?"

"Lia? Did I wake you up?" Harry asked the obvious question.

"Harry? What the hell are you doing calling so early on my day off? It's…seven a.m.!"

"Sorry, love. I was just letting you know that I can't make it tonight. I'm afraid Hermione is working herself sick, and I'm taking her away for the day, getting her away from London and her job. I'm going to catch her as soon as she wakes up, or she'll run off to work, which is why I'm calling you now."

Natalia was silent for a moment. Then, "That's fine, Harry. I'll see you later." _Click._

Harry stared at the phone for a moment, then shook his head. _She's just pissed I woke her up so early._ He went into the kitchen to cook breakfast and wait for Hermione to wake up.

* * *

Hermione rolled over and stretched, then stopped when her arm hit something solid and warm. She sat up quickly and took in her surroundings; she was sleeping on the floor of her office with none other than Charlie Weasley! A blush heated her face as she stretched her stiff muscles and glanced at her co-worker of late. They must have fallen asleep while working last night. Neither one of them had been getting much sleep, and they had taken a break in their research to just stretch out and talk. The long nights must have gotten to them. Harry…

Harry! He'd be worried sick if she wasn't home this morning! She quickly turned to Charlie and shook him. "Charlie…Charlie! Wake up. We fell asleep here last night!"

Charlie opened his eyes, squinting at the intrusion upon his slumber, and then smiled. "Morning, beautiful," he whispered, then he seemed to catch himself and sat up. "Whoa, I'm sore. Too old to be sleeping on the floor."

_He called me beautiful._ Hermione, still thinking about what Charlie had said, was shaken out of her daze by her companion.

"Hermione? I think we need a day off. Why don't you go home, get some real sleep, and I'll see you later, eh?" Charlie was looking at her with those large blue eyes that she'd grown so fond of lately. "I'm sure Harry's worried about you."

_Damn it all! Harry!_ "You're right. He's used to me working long nights lately, though. I'd better head home. Thanks for the help, Charlie." Hermione smiled and kissed Charlie on the cheek before gathering her things and apparating directly into her apartment and into a line of questioning from a confused Harry Potter.

"Hermione? I thought you were still asleep! Where've you been?!" Harry took the eggs he was cooking off the stove top and turned the burner down before facing his best friend.

"I…uh…Charlie and I fell asleep at the office. We had been researching some past Dragon Pox cases, and I guess the lack of sleep caught up to us both, and we fell asleep on the floor." Hermione avoided Harry's doubtful gaze and walked over to the coffee pot to pour a cup for herself.

"Charlie, huh? You and Charlie Weasley slept together in your office?" Harry hid his smirk behind his own cup of tea.

Hermione spun around. "Damnit, Harry! You make it sound like we did something wrong! We _slept_; that's it! Plus, it's not like you haven't stayed over at Natalia's more than once."

"She's my _girlfriend_, Hermione. Plus, Charlie's under the impression that we, as in you and I, are dating. What kind of girlfriend are you?" Harry could barely contain his laughter.

The healer was not finding the situation funny at all. "And whose fault is that, Harry? I thought we were going to take care of this charade! Do you know how much you're going to hurt Natalia if this keeps going and the press finds out about you two?"

"Apparently, you're not thinking this through, Hermione!" Harry was becoming frustrated himself. "If you and I 'break up,' one of us will have to move! They'll never believe that you and I can live together without something going on! There will always be a rumor floating around about you and me."

Hermione sat down heavily in a chair. Harry turned to retrieve the breakfast he had cooked for his best friend, setting the eggs, potatoes, bacon, and English muffin in front of her. "Do you want jam or butter?"

"Both."

Harry put out the condiments and grabbed his own plate before sitting down by Hermione. "Love, I don't want Lia hurt any more than you do, but I'm at a loss right now. By never addressing these rumors, we've dug ourselves into a bloody hole that's going to take some quick thinking and creativity to get ourselves out of."

Hermione pushed her food around and nodded.

"You okay?"

"It's just that it's so much easier for you, Harry. Girls, even though they think you're dating me, still try to get to you; they think that they can 'take' you from me if they try hard enough. Even Natalia, though she didn't think we were actually dating, she thought that I would be the one to 'beat,' the one she had to get by."

"Hermione…"

"No, Harry, let me get this out. With me, it feels like guys see me as someone who is nice and smart, but not worth challenging the great Harry Potter for. I guess that says something about the differences in men and women."

Harry stared at his best friend for a moment. "Is there someone, Hermione? Someone you _want_ to fight for you?"

"Possibly. But he's too much of a gentleman, too much of a friend to even think about overstepping his bounds with you, Harry. He thinks we're together, so he won't even consider seeing me that way."

Harry nodded and sighed. "Okay. I can see your point. But Hermione?"

Hermione looked at Harry. "Yeah?"

"_You_ are worth the fight. They just know _they_ aren't."

* * *

Natalia rolled onto her back and shut her eyes after her phone call from Harry. This was the third time that he had pushed a date back because of something to do with her or their _situation_. He always made it up to her, but it was the fact that he put Hermione Granger first.

She sighed. She knew she shouldn't feel this way. After all, Harry had proven that he was not in love with his brunette best friend.

Right?

The auror sighed again and sat up, all hopes of sleeping late gone. She shuffled to her shower, turned on the water, and stepped in, basking in the hot spray as it rained down upon her tense muscles. Once she was done, she walked back into her bedroom and dressed for the day before making her way to her kitchen to fix herself some breakfast. Hearing footsteps behind her, she turned around with a grin.

"Finally decided to wake up, did you?" Natalia reached down and picked up Max, her three-year-old son, and put him in his booster seat.

"I'm hungry, Mum!" The blonde-haired, hazel-eyed toddler grinned up to his mother. Natalia smiled back and put him some dry cereal out to keep him occupied until she could get him some real breakfast fixed. As she was cooking Max's oatmeal, she thought about her relationship with Harry and how it would affect her son.

Harry didn't know about Max, and she planned to keep it that way for a while longer. She was not in the habit of bringing strange men into her son's life when she didn't know how long it was going to last. Max had three men in his life right now: his father and his two grandfathers. She was glad that she had a good relationship with Philip Norton, Max's father. They had had a relationship while attending Beauxbatons, and it had carried over while she attended the Auror Academy in France.

Natalia was English by birth, but because her father had lived in France at the time of her birth, she had been registered at the French school of magic, and she had loved every minute. Philip, a native Frenchman, had swept her off her feet, but promises can only carry you so far. He fell in love with another, and when she had told him she was carrying his child, he had hugged her, apologizing profusely for abandoning her. Natalia told Philip that he would always have a place in Max's life, but she would not guilt him into staying with her. He was now married to the love of his life and living in France. Max loved his father, and he visited every chance he could.

Natalia's parents and Philip's parents both were very present in Max's life, but his maternal grandparents were the ones who kept the boy while Natalia got to know Harry Potter better. She refused to introduce Harry to Max yet.

"Mum! I want oatmeal!" Max brought her back to the present. Natalia obliged her son and scooped him out a bowl of oatmeal, cooling it before handing it over to the boy.

"How would Mum's little man like to go see the duckies at the park today?" Natalia grinned at the way her son's expression brightened at the suggestion. Going to the park was Max's favorite pastime, and she felt she had been neglecting her motherly duties in favor of Harry recently. _No more. Max will always come first for me_.

After breakfast, the two got Max dressed and headed toward Hyde Park. This was going to be a good day.

* * *

Harry glanced over at his companion, relieved to see a relaxed smile on her face. Hermione had fought his suggestion of a day away, but after her long night at her office, she didn't fight all that hard. Especially after Harry had activated a Portkey and forced her hand.

"Are you ever going to tell me where we are, Harry?" Hermione smirked his way.

"Nope. I'm the only one I know of who knows about this place and how to get here. You should feel lucky that you're even here." And lucky she felt. Hermione looked at her surroundings. The two were in a small clearing beside a waterfall in the middle of a forest. The only sound they could hear was the sound of the water hitting the surface of the rocks below.

"How did you find this place?"

"Sirius."

Hermione nodded. She knew that Sirius Black had shared much with his godson, and she wasn't going to pry into that information. Yet. "At least tell me…"

"Nope."

"Prat."

"I know." Harry just looked over at her and grinned. "Hungry?"

"Sleepy. I'll eat something when I wake up."

Harry nodded and stood up. "I'm going to get in the water. Take your nap. We have all day."

While Hermione slept, Harry floated in the water, thinking about why he was here with his best friend and not his girlfriend. True, he had only been dating Natalia for six weeks, but shouldn't he be sharing these things with her, not Hermione? He shook his head. And what was the real reason he hadn't ousted the false relationship?

_I'll lose Hermione._ He looked over at his slumbering friend. Harry knew that he didn't have romantic feelings toward Hermione Granger. He had thought he had a couple of years ago, and she had returned them, but it had been during the horcrux hunt, and they came to realize that they had been looking for affection, and they had been all the other had. Once back in the "real world," the feelings became stilted and awkward until they decided that they were better off as friends.

However, even though he didn't want a romantic relationship with Hermione, he still did not want to lose her to someone else. _How much of a git can you be, Harry Potter?_ He knew that was selfish of him and totally unfair to her. Harry thought back to what she had told him this morning. She wanted to make a go of it with a bloke, and _he_, Harry Potter, was holding her back.

What he had just come to realize was that if something didn't happen, his friendship with Hermione might just lose him Natalia as well. Her tone this morning was not just aggravation at him waking her up. This was not the first time he had moved a date for Hermione. Guilt ate at Harry. _No more. We have to drop this faux relationship soon!_ Harry determinedly swam over to where Hermione was sleeping and dropped down a few feet away and quickly fell into the best sleep he had had in weeks.

* * *

Charlie Weasley looked in his refrigerator. Empty. _Damn it all!_ At the reserve in Romania, he had just taken his meals in the mess hall with all of the other trainers; however, here in London, he had to fend for himself. He closed the offending appliance and stood up, figuring that take-out would be his best option. He would go to his mum's, but her constant questioning about when he was going to finally settle down now that he was back in London was getting to him.

_When would I have time to look for someone else when I spend all day in the presence of Hermione Granger?_ He shook his head. He didn't know when this infatuation with the young healer had begun, but it had, and it had happened quickly. Charlie guessed he could trace his first stirrings of attraction back to the summer after the defeat of Voldemort. He had been home, staying with his family after the loss of Fred, when Hermione had walked in with Ginny. She had been heading to one of the many ceremonies she, Harry, and Ron had to attend, and the dress she had chosen was a cerulean blue. He had been talking to Bill at the moment, but to this day, he couldn't tell a soul what he had been discussing with his older brother.

"Mate, you okay?" Bill had asked with a smirk.

"When did she grow up, Bill?"

"About the same time as Ron and Ginny, I reckon, Charlie. See something you like?" Bill had laughed as he had hit Charlie on the back. Charlie had stumbled over an explanation, something about being taken off-guard with the two girls. Bill had just smiled and nodded before carrying on with their previous discussion.

_Why did Harry-Bloody-Potter have to ruin everything?_ Charlie growled, a sound more befitting Bill, as he picked up the phone to order Thai food, his favorite. Placing his order, he resumed his pacing, thinking back over the two's relationship.

Everyone thought Hermione would become a Weasley, but then Ron had moved in with Leslie, and the papers had begun reporting about the "Golden Duo." Harry and Hermione never dated anyone else, and they never denied the rumors about themselves. Plus, who could be more right for Hermione Granger than her best friend, the one who knew her best?

_I could think of one…_

Charlie shook his head. Spending all of this time with Hermione was getting to him. She was too smart…

Too pretty…

Too witty…

Too involved with Bloody Potter!

Just as Charlie was paying for his dinner, he heard a knock on his window. He thanked the delivery man and went to let in the owl, taking the note from its talon before giving it some water and food.

_Mr. Weasley,_

_We've had another case of Dragon Pox admitted to St. Mungo's. We cannot get in touch with Healer Granger, so if you can, could you please report to the hospital as soon as possible, and if you can reach the healer, please let her know as well. _

_This time, it's a child, and the disease is working much more quickly. We need all hands on deck._

_Thank you,_

_Healer H. Malone_

Charlie stuck his dinner in the refrigerator and grabbed his things, apparating first to Harry and Hermione's flat. Finding no one home, he scribbled a quick note and stuck it to their door before apparating to the hospital. The wards allowed him in because of his work with the hospital.

He ran to the front desk. "Healer Malone?"

After being given directions, he ran down the hall to the correct ward. Seeing a distraught woman with short black hair, he stopped. "Ma'am, is Healer Malone in there?"

She nodded, and she asked, "Where's Hermione? I thought they had called her!"

Surprised she knew the young healer by name, he laid his hand on her arm. "I left a note at her flat. She and Harry are gone, but they should be back before long. She'll be over as soon as she sees the note. Your name is?"

"Natalia Pearson. It's my son, Max, in there. Can you help him?"


	4. Secrets Revealed

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**_

_A/N: So, Max was a surprise for me as well. I don't know how many of you read Ten More Minutes, but if you did, you'll know that I don't write my stories ahead of time. I post as soon as I finish a chapter. Max, just five minutes before I made him a three-year-old toddler, was supposed to be Natalia's dog, and Natalia was supposed to get sick. Oh well…we'll see how this goes! Thanks for the reviews and followers!_

_**EDITED** I realized I've contradicted myself a few times in this chapter, so I've hopefully fixed this._

* * *

Harry and Hermione returned outside their flat fully relaxed and laughing. Hermione turned to Harry and hugged him, whispering in his ear, "Thank you, Harry. I really needed that."

"You did need that. Now, come on in, and let's not think of work for the rest of the day."

"Don't you have a date tonight?" Hermione turned to open their door, stopping to read the note stuck by what was obviously a sticking charm.

Harry was shaking his head to answer his roommate when he heard her gasp. "Harry! There's been another report!"

"Hermione…I thought we discussed this. NO work tonight. There are other healers! You're going to be next!" Harry did not want to see his friend in the hospital fighting for her life when he could stop it.

The girl in front of him was already in position to apparate. "No, Harry. It's a child. I may not have tomorrow. You can either let me go or come with me, but I'm gone. I'll see you later." With those parting words, Hermione Granger disappeared, leaving Harry gaping like a fish in the doorway. With a bad feeling in his chest, he followed her.

* * *

Natalia was a wreck. The healers', namely Hermione's, research had concluded that the virus could not be passed through the air, only through another carrier, so the distraught mother could sit by her son, but the only comfort she could offer him was touching his hair; anything else was dangerous for her. She had asked the mediwitch to contact his father and grandparents, and the lady had agreed instantly. Philip would be here soon.

A sound echoed from the door, and Natalia's head jerked up. Charlie Weasley, the bloke who had responded to the emergency, peeked in quietly. At her nod, he came in the room, making his way near the bed.

"How is he?"

"No change, according to the healer, but they're waiting on Hermi…er…Healer Granger to get here." She didn't know why she was trying to keep Harry and Hermione's secret while her son was lying here fighting for his life, but…

"So, you know Hermione?" Charlie looked at Natalia closely.

"I wouldn't say I _know_ her. I work with Harry; we're both aurors." There. No lie.

Charlie swallowed deeply. "Ah. Okay."

Natalie examined Charlie. "No offense, but you don't exactly look like a healer."

"Oh, I'm not. I'm currently the director of the local dragon reserve and the assistant director of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. Hermione called me in to help her out with this case."

"You two know each other?"

"She was best friends with Harry and my brother Ron in school. We didn't really get to know each other until just after the war when I began going back and forth, liaising. I began helping her out with research about the Dragon Pox virus, and I've invested almost as much of my time as she has. We've spent many nights and gone through many pizza and Chinese containers in her office."

"Have you two made any progress on the virus?" The mother turned to look at her son. She could tell that he was struggling to breathe; the effects of the virus took hold quickly, which was what let her know that she needed to get him to the hospital as soon as possible. Harry had warned her of the disease, having seen his roommate working with the research for so long, so she knew what to look for.

Max had developed a light fever not long after arriving at Hyde Park. He had played with the ducks for about thirty minutes before complaining about his head hurting. When Natalia had picked him up, the fever had already developed, and a light grey sheen had already begun to cover the boy's neck, a sure sign of Dragon Pox. This only worried Natalia more; she was familiar with the green and purple tinge associated with regular Dragon Pox. This had been proven to be more deadly already.

By the time Max had been admitted to the hospital, his eyes had already turned bright orange, threatening his vision. The healers told her that the virus was moving more quickly because of his size. _Where the hell is Hermione?_

Charlie considered Natalia's question. "We have made progress, but we're still trying to figure out where it's coming from. It's such a mystery. You don't have any idea where he could have picked this up?"

Before she could answer, the door swung open, and a determined brunette walked in, followed by a more hesitant raven-haired, bespectacled male. However, once the young healer saw the mother of her patient, she stopped.

"Natalia?"

"Harry?" The auror in question hurriedly moved from behind Hermione and past Charlie to the dark-haired woman now standing beside the hospital bed.

"What…what are you doing here?" Harry moved his hands to Natalia's face and began moving them down her body as if he could diagnose any illness just by feeling her. Then, suddenly noticing the little boy in the bed, he stilled his movements. "Who is this, love?"

Moving her lips silently for a few moments, Natalia finally found her voice. "Harry, this is Max, my…my son." She looked into Harry's emerald-green eyes, begging him to forgive her for not sharing this information with him sooner.

Harry was floored. "Your son? You have a son?" Harry moved to where the little boy was lying. "Lia, why? Why didn't you tell me?" He looked back at her, ignoring the other two people in the room.

Natalia moved next to Harry. "Max has three men in his life: Philip, his father; my dad, and Philip's dad. I don't bring every guy I date home to him; I don't want him confused. I've seen how much you love kids, Harry. Why would you be here now if you didn't? You didn't know I was here. You just knew there was a sick child with Dragon Pox, right?"

The auror nodded. "You're right. And this isn't the time for this; we need to focus on getting this little boy better, right Hermione?" he asked, looking for the first time up to his best friend, who looked to be still in shock.

"What? Oh, yes! You're absolutely correct!" Hermione jumped directly into healer-mode, moving to the other side of the bed and pulling out her wand. "Charlie, could you run to my office and bring those notes we took last night? They looked very useful for these particular symptoms, and maybe we can figure out some sort of potion to at least stave off the effects of the virus for a few days until we can find something more permanent."

Charlie, still reeling from the scene between Harry and Natalia, gave a little smile at Hermione's business-like attitude and a small salute. "Yes, ma'am. Be right back!"

Hermione, sensing Harry's need to talk to Natalia alone, suggested, "Natalia, I'm just going to do some diagnostic work on Max here, some tests that will let me know where he is and how far along the virus is. It shouldn't have progressed too awful far since the symptoms just showed up this morning, but since he's so little, we don't know. However, why don't you and Harry follow Charlie down to my office and sit until I'm done? One of us will come and get you when I get through."

Harry, seeing what Hermione was doing, nodded. "She really is brilliant, Lia. Plus, you look tired. I can make you some tea while we're in her office."

Natalia went over to her son and ran her fingers through his hair. "I'll be right back, honey. Healer Granger here will take good care of you, and she'll come get me if you need me." Tears ran down her face as she felt Harry's hand in hers. "I love you, Max. Daddy'll be here soon." She turned and let Harry lead her out of the room behind Charlie.

Hermione watched them leave and turned to work on her patient. _They need to get this worked out now because this little boy needs all the support he can possibly get._

* * *

Charlie grabbed the files Hermione needed from off her desk, but as he was walking out, he heard Harry chuckle behind him.

"Damn, Charlie. What did you and Hermione do in here last night?"

Eyes widening, Charlie turned around and took stock of the room. Sure enough, drink cans, coffee cups, sandwich wrappers, and other pieces of trash were scattered over the floor. The two had neglected to clean up after themselves when they had awakened that morning. He could even see the space in which the two of them had slept; Hermione would not be happy with this mess.

"Harry, I swear to you, mate, we did nothing but eat, work, and talk."

"And sleep together." Harry had a strange look in his eye.

"Technically…"

"Charlie, don't worry about it. I'm not mad. Hermione explained everything this morning when she got home. You'd better get back to her though; I'll clean up this mess before she has a coronary."

Charlie nodded his thanks, eased by Natalia, who had just sat down on the couch in Hermione's office, and made his way back to Max Norton's room to give Hermione the files she needed.

Harry turned to Natalia, who had suddenly found her hands much more interesting. Sighing, he walked over to Hermione's tea kettle and, with a flick of his wand, filled it with water and heated it up. He fixed Natalia's tea to her liking, one sugar and a dash of cream. Handing it to her, he sat beside her and looked at her, willing her to begin talking.

Natalia felt his eyes on her, but she couldn't decide on where to begin. Finally, she just started talking.

"I met Philip while we were at Beauxbatons. I'm English by heritage, but my father was living in France at the time, so I was enrolled there. Anyway, we began dating my sixth year, and we didn't break up until I was twenty. However, a few months after we broke up, I found out that I was pregnant. Thankfully, it had been a very amicable split, and he promised to be there every step of the way. He married a year later, but he is very active in Max's life. He, his wife, and his parents." She finally chanced a look at Harry, who had a thoughtful look on his face.

"When were you going to tell me?" He looked her in her eyes and began playing with a strand of her very short hair. She kept it short because it was less stressful to deal with on the job.

"I was going to tell you as soon as it was clear that we were in a committed relationship." Harry widened his eyes at the determined glint in her eye. Obviously, her son was the most important person in her life, and he admired that.

Harry nodded. "I understand that. Max shouldn't be confused by men coming in and out of your life. Where is he when I come over?"

"At my parents'. They understand that I do need a social life without Max in it sometimes, so they take care of him. However, I had just resolved this morning to spend more time with my son. I feel like I haven't given him enough of my attention lately." With that, Natalia broke down, and Harry gathered her in his arms.

"Shh, Lia. We'll get through this. He has the absolute best care he can get right now! Hermione is taking care of him, and if she can keep my arse alive, she can surely knock whatever is hurting your baby boy out!" He pulled her face back and looked her in the eyes. "Max will be okay. Hermione hasn't met a challenge she hasn't obliterated yet!"

* * *

Charlie stayed as Hermione ran diagnostic spells on Max, taking notes as she called the specifics of his condition out to him. He had asked Natalia questions in the short amount of time the two had been alone together, so he knew what the mother and son had done that morning. He wrote down that information as well where Hermione could review it at her own convenience.

He looked at the young healer, and he knew she was worried. She gave the boy a few potions that helped his breathing and lowered his temperature, but even though he wasn't a healer himself, Charlie knew this disease was nothing to play around with.

When she finally finished her tests, she slowly walked over to him. As she reached his side, she rested her head on his shoulder. "I didn't know she had a child."

"She mentioned that she knew you through Harry, but she hasn't told you about Max?" Charlie was confused about why she would keep this information secret. Unless…his eyes narrowed. What if Harry was cheating on Hermione, and Natalia didn't want Harry to know that she had a child yet? And he'd left the two in her office alone!

"Hermione, is everything okay with you and Harry?"

Hermione looked up at Charlie, knowing that she needed to be honest. "Charlie, Natalia is Harry's girlfriend. There was never anything between me and Harry."

Charlie gulped as he looked down and saw the honesty in the young brunette's eyes. "Then why have you never denied the rumors…?"

"We never needed to. It was easier for Harry and me if we weren't always dodging relationships while we worked our ways up in our respective careers. We were using each other, Charlie. Pure and simple."

Charlie nodded in understanding. "Damn, Hermione. You even fooled us Weasleys."

She nodded sadly. "Sorry about that. We just figured the fewer people we told, the better. We never confirmed or denied anything; we just let the papers have their way with us."

A light cough dragged their attention away from each other. Hermione rushed to Max's side and checked his vitals.

"Mum?"

"Hey, Max. Your mum stepped out for a moment, but Mr. Weasley here is going to get her." Hermione gave a look to Charlie that let him know what he needed to do. He hurried down the hall to fetch Max's mother.

"Where am I?"

"You're at the hospital, Max. You're really sick, but we're going to take good care of you. My name is Healer Granger, and I'm a friend of your mum's. Now, tell me, do you hurt anywhere?"

Max nodded. "My head hurts, and my tummy."

Hermione nodded. "Ok. We'll get you some medicine to take care of that." She bit her lip worriedly as she sent her patronus to another healer to bring another potion for Max. The otter ran excitedly out into the hall just as Natalia and Harry stepped in.

Harry looked at his friend. "Hermione? Everything okay? I saw your patronus…"

She nodded. "Just getting a couple of more potions for our buddy Max here. His tummy and head still hurt, so we're going to make him feel better." Max gave a feeble grin as he saw his mother approach his bed.

"Mum…"

"Hey, Max. How're you feeling, love?" Natalia ran her hand through her little boy's blonde locks. She tried not to be worried when she looked into his bright orange eyes.

"My tummy hurts. I sorry for getting sick, Mummy."

"Oh, honey, it's not your fault. But we're going to get you better and go back to finish our day at the park." Max brightened at this. Then he looked around his mother at the black-haired man behind her.

"Mum, who is he?"

"Oh, this is Harry. He's my friend from work." Max nodded weakly at her explanation. Charlie chose to walk in then with the potions that Hermione had requested. Max took them, and soon, his eyes were heavy. Natalia looked at the healer.

"I've given him a dreamless sleep potion. It'll help him rest, and it'll help his body heal while the other potions try to work on the other symptoms. Right now, I'm going to check on my other patients, and then I'm going to the lab." Walking over to Harry, she hugged him, saying, "Thanks for the break this morning, Harry. I'll see you later." She walked by Natalia, and as she was turning to speak to her, the auror reached out and grabbed her, hugging her tightly. "Thank you, Hermione. I promise I'll fill you in about Max later, but I really appreciate what you're doing for him right now. He's the most important person in my life."

Squeezing Natalia back, Hermione nodded. "I know, Natalia. You owe me no explanation. I'll be back around in a bit to check on you. If you need me, send a patronus or Harry." Natalia nodded into her shoulder. Hermione gave her another squeeze before releasing her and turning to walk out.

Charlie waved at Harry and Natalie before following the healer out of the room. Walking behind her to her office, he closed the door.

"Hermione, I know you're busy…"

She turned to look at him curiously. "What do you need, Charlie?"

"Do you really not have _any_ feelings for Harry? I mean, you two are really close."

"Honestly, Charlie. I thought I did while we were on the run during the war, but now, no. He's just Harry, and although he keeps me alive by feeding me, and while I love him, Harry is just a really wonderful friend to me."

Charlie walked closer to Hermione and put his hand on her cheek. "You know, Hermione, I can cook too."

Her eyebrow quirked, and the beginnings of a smile lit her face. "Oh, can you now?"

"I can. And after this mess with this virus is over, because I know how important it is for us to find this cure quickly, I'm going to show you just how well I can cook."

Hermione's smile grew larger with his use of the word _us_, and she replied, "I'd like that, Charlie."


	5. Philip

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**_

_A/N: Please excuse the pitiful excuse for a French accent, and if I get any French phrase wrong, I apologize. I do NOT speak French in any way, shape, or form...Maybe this should go under the disclaimer.._

* * *

Harry sat on the couch in the hospital room, holding Natalia close. She had fallen asleep a few minutes ago, exhausted after pacing the room, checking on her son continuously. Harry had finally pulled her to him and sat down, assuring her that the healers knew what they were doing and that they were doing their job to the best of their ability. She had finally collapsed around midnight, her head on Harry's shoulder.

Hermione had checked in multiple times, checking Max's status with a mixture of pleasure that the potions she had given him were working and worry that she still hadn't progressed as far as she'd like in her own vaccine. After allowing her to work a while, Charlie would come in and give her a report of another patient, forcing the overworked healer to look apologetically at Harry before leaving. The last time she had come in, around three in the morning, had been the hardest.

Max's fever had risen slightly, which had given Hermione one more thing to worry about. She had checked the time, making sure enough time had passed before she gave him another potion to reduce his temperature. Natalia had awakened by this time and was watching her son's progress like a hawk, but she didn't approach the bed, finally realizing that she needed to trust Hermione to take care of her little boy. She left her head on Harry's shoulder, soaking up every bit of comfort he could offer.

Hermione, on the other hand, was focused on helping Max, but inwardly, she was falling apart. She had just received word that one of her elderly patients had succumbed to the illness, making the total five. The other healers were helping her with the other patients, keeping them comfortable and doing just what she was doing for Max: keeping them supplied with fever and pain potions; however, she had insisted on taking care of the child personally.

She watched as the sleep potion wore off the little boy, and his bright orange eyes turned to her.

"Healer Granger?" Pain laced his voiced as he struggled not to cry.

"Hey there, Max. I'm so sorry you're hurting; you ready to take another potion?"

"Wanna see Mum and Daddy." Hermione nodded at Natalia, who jumped up to go to Max's bedside.

"Max? How are you feeling, honey?" Natalia pushed her fingers through Max's hair, causing his eyes to close.

"I hurt."

Hermione's resolve almost cracked then, but she took a quick, shuddering breath. "We're getting you better, Max. I promise."

Max nodded, then looked at his mother. "Where's Daddy?"

Natalia looked down at Max. "Daddy and Clarise are on their way. They had to go by and get Grand-mère and Grand-père at their house." Philip's mother was a muggle, so she was not comfortable with magical transportation, even after thirty-five years of living with a wizard. Clarise, Philip's wife, had offered to let Philip go ahead and apparate to the hospital, so he was driving his wife to his parents' before coming to the hospital.

Natalia's own parents had been in and out of the room all night, but they knew too many people in the room would only stress out their grandson even more. They had met Harry, and Natalia got the feeling that they approved, especially because Harry was still by her side when he could be at home asleep. She looked over at her boyfriend, who was staring intently at his best friend. Natalia turned back and looked at Hermione, but besides looked a bit harried, the young healer was her normal, busy-body self.

However, Harry didn't seem to think so. He stood and grabbed Hermione by the arm, leading her out of the room.

Casting a _muffliato _charm around them, he asked, "Okay, Hermione, what's up? I know you're worried, but there's something else."

Hermione shook her head, ready to deny all, but then looked in Harry's eyes. What she saw caused her to stop. While she had expected this from the moment she had seen Natalia's son, it did surprise her that it had happened this quickly. Harry Potter had fallen in love, not only with Natalia, but with her son as well.

"There is. Charlie just told me that…that there's been another death related to the virus, Harry. One of my elderly patients didn't make it." Saying this, Hermione finally began falling apart, and luckily, Harry was there to catch her.

Wrapping his arms around her, he whispered words of comfort to her. "Shh, Hermione, it's not your fault. You'll beat this, and Max and all of your other patients will be fine."

"But this is the fifth patient I've—"

Harry pulled Hermione's face back and looked her in the eyes. "Love, you're not the only healer here. Plus, no one knows everything about this disease! You know more than you did two days ago, right?" At her nod, he said, "Well then, you're making progress! Now, go on back in, and take care of that little boy. After that, you need to go grab Charlie, and you lot need to take a nap. You won't be worth anything tomorrow if you don't."

"But…"

"Granger…." He gave her his "Don't-Fuck-With-Me" look. "As soon as Max's dad gets here, I'm going to go get some sleep. I'm supposed to report into work at ten tomorrow, but I may call in a bit late. But if you don't get some sleep, you'll be in the room next door, and no one will be getting any better because you're the main fount of knowledge on this subject."

Hermione nodded and hugged Harry. "Thanks. I'll be right out; let me give Max his potions." With that, she eased the door back open and stepped inside. Harry cancelled the privacy charm and went to sit in a chair across the hall. A few minutes later, he looked up to see a very determined blonde man in his mid-twenties walking determinedly down the hall.

When he reached Harry, he looked at the number on the door and back at Harry. "I assume you're 'arry?" the man questioned.

Harry stood and nodded. "And I understand that you're Philip?"

Philip Norton stuck out his hand. "So you're zee man Natalia 'as been telling me about! Are they in zere? I want to see my son."

Harry shook Philip's hand and nodded. "That's right. I'll let them know you're here. The healer's in there giving him his potions." Harry went to the door and stuck his head in. Hermione turned around from mixing Max's last potion and looked at her best friend questioningly. "Philip, Max's dad, is here. He'd like to see Max before you give him that sleep potion."

Hermione smiled and nodded. Harry waved the distraught father into the room, and Philip rushed to Max's side.

"Daddy! You're here!" Max sounded better due to the potions, but everyone in the room knew that the relief was temporary.

"I am, _mon fils_. I'll be 'ere as long as you need me. Now, it's late; take your potion, and I'll be 'ere when you wake up _le matin_." Max nodded and took his last potion, quickly falling into a deep sleep.

Seeing his son resting, Philip turned to Natalia and Harry, who had come in and wrapped Natalia in his arms once again. "Clarise and my parents should be 'ere in a few hours. You two need rest; go get some sleep, and I'll watch over Max." Natalia began to argue, but Hermione cut her off.

"Natalia, I can get you two a room here at the hospital. They keep them here for the families. You two can rest in one of those."

"What about you, Hermione?" Harry looked intently at his best friend.

"I have a small cot in the room off my office. I'll go there and grab a couple of hours. I just need to finish up what I started in the lab; I can't leave it going."

Natalia shook her head. "Surely someone else can take over to let you rest! Go get someone, take Charlie, and you two get some sleep!"

Hermione looked at the couple and sighed. "Fine, I'll go and get Penny; she's worked on this with me. She can watch over the potions while Charlie and I rest."

Harry looked satisfied with this, and he grabbed Hermione's chin and looked into her eyes. "And you won't come out of that room until I come and get you. I know you're brilliant, and I know no other healer can measure up, but trust some of these others a while, or you'll be sick as well."

Hermione glared, but she agreed and went down the hall to get Charlie and Penny.

* * *

After settling Natalia into a family room and promising a quick return, he walked down to Hermione's office and slipped in. Entering the room behind her office, he smiled at what he saw.

Obviously, the "cot" in the room had been expanded, filling the small area, but it was the occupants on the surface of the newly enlarged bed that brought the grin to Harry's face.

Charlie Weasley was at the back of the cot, his back against the wall and his arms around one very peaceful Hermione Granger. She was currently backed up against Charlie, one hand clasped in Charlie's and her other under her own head, which was resting on Charlie's other arm.

Harry shook his head and quietly backed out and walked down the hall to his own room. Sliding in behind Natalia, he set his wand to alarm for him to report in to work. Natalia turned around and asked, "Everything ok?"

"Everything's fine. Let's get some rest and be ready for Max tomorrow." Natalia nodded and snuggled into his embrace before falling into a slightly more peaceful sleep.

* * *

Charlie awakened before Hermione, glancing down at the brown curls spread over his arm. He smiled as he remembered her nervousness when she had asked him to share her cot. He had been watching over one of her samples while she went to check on Max when she had walked in with Penny Davis.

"Charlie?"

He had looked up and caught her eye. "Yeah?"

"Penny's going to continue testing the samples while we get some rest. Natalia and Harry have kind of forced our hand in this." Charlie nodded and cleaned up while Hermione told the other healer what needed to be done until she returned.

As the two left the lab, Charlie turned to Hermione and told her, "Well, I'm going to apparate to my flat. I'll be back in a few hours to pick up where we left off. You staying here?"

She nodded, but then she shyly looked up at him. "Charlie…Do you…do you want to just stay over here? I mean, it'll save time and energy…"

"I thought those rooms were for family only."

"Oh, those are; I meant in the room behind my office…with me." Her brown eyes met his blue ones head-on, Hermione now knowing what she wanted: company and comfort.

Charlie had nodded. "That sounds nice. Lead the way." They had expanded the small cot, and after some repositioning, they had found a comfortable position for each of them. Charlie didn't think he had ever had a more peaceful sleep.

His thoughts were interrupted Hermione moving around, slowly taking note of her surroundings. When her eyes met his, her lips turned up into a smile.

"Morning."

"Morning, beautiful." He remembered his words from the morning prior, at the guilt he'd felt because he had thought he had betrayed Harry. However, now that he knew Hermione was single, he was going to make sure to make her feel special every chance he could.

"There is absolutely no possible way I could look beautiful after the day and night we had yesterday, Charlie. I'll refer you to a healer for those eyes of yours." Her lips formed a wry grin as she moved to her back to stretch her stiff muscles. As she lifted her arms above her head, her shirt lifted slightly, giving Charlie a glimpse of her cute bellybutton. He quickly raised his eyes back to hers, finding her looking back at him as well.

"Hermione Granger, you're not only beautiful on the outside, but after I've truly gotten to know you, I now know that I've never known one more beautiful on the inside. You say that Harry has a 'saving people' thing; well, he's not the only one. If what I've learned about you is any indication, I know you won't rest until that little boy and those other sick people are back at home with their families. The thing is, I'm going to be right there beside you. I have no medical training, but I know Dragon Pox. I've already owled the ministry and the dragon reserve, telling them that I'll be back when this virus is taken care of. We have their blessing as well as an offer of help; anything we need from them, they will provide."

The healer seemed to be in shock for a couple of moments before sitting up to embrace the dragon trainer. "Oh, Merlin, Charlie!" She backed up a bit and wiped her eyes. "You're so amazing; you know that?"

"Well, I had my suspicions, but I'm glad you-ooomph!" Charlie's eyes widened, then drifted shut as his lips were cut off by Hermione's. Her hands traveled up his face and into his short hair, which had actually begun to grow back since his move from Romania. Charlie's hands moved down to Hermione's hips and pulled her closer, reveling in the feelings her lips were sending through him.

She finally ended the kiss, backing up and looking at Charlie shyly. "It seems as if I have a knack for kissing in the heat of the moment…"

"What do you…Oh. Ron." No one had been safe after the war; Ron had told everyone single one of them about how Hermione had grabbed him during the battle and kissed him after he had remembered to think about the safety of the house elves. Of course, that was the last kiss they had shared. Hermione and Ron had been awkward around each other until Harry had dragged them outside for about an hour. When they returned, all three of them had been laughing and talking, and nothing else was said.

"Yes, Ron. But," and Hermione grinned at Charlie when she said this, "you're not Ronald, and that kiss meant much more to me than one between two best friends."

"Well then, I feel special. But we'd better make sure, eh?" Charlie smiled as he leaned back in, but as just as his lips touched Hermione's, the door opened, and Harry Potter stuck his head in. _Bloody Potter_…

"Hermione? Oh…Gods, sorry guys! I'm sorry for interrupting, but Max's potions have worn off, and I told you I'd come wake you up before I left for the office."

Hermione laughed lightly and nodded. "You're fine, Harry." She grinned, pecked Charlie on the lips, and got off the cot, refreshing her robes as she walked out the door behind Harry. Charlie followed close behind. "How's Max this morning?" she asked.

"Still in pain, but right now he's enjoying having his family around. I've decided since they're all here, I can go into work for a while. Since I'm now Natalia's superior, I can authorize her time off, so I need to go take care of that paperwork."

Charlie nodded. "His grandparents and stepmother have arrived?"

"About an hour ago. It's now eight o'clock, so I should be back around lunch." Harry turned back to Hermione. "Send a patronus if something goes wrong. I want to be here for them."

Hermione nodded. "Go, Harry. I'm taking care of them, and they'll all be here when you get back."

Harry nodded as he turned to go. Then, "Oh yeah, Charlie, speaking of taking care of people…" He raised his eyebrows in Hermione's direction.

"I've got her, mate. You go!"

"So pushy, you two!" Harry gave them his lopsided grin before he apparated. "You're perfect for each other!"

Hermione shook her head as she turned back and began walking toward Max's room. "Charlie, could you go on back and check on Penny? See how she's coming along on the samples?"

"Sure. I'll see you in a bit." As if by instinct, Charlie reached out, grabbed Hermione, and kissed the top of her head. He missed the goofy grin she wore all the way down the hall.

Reaching Max's room, she walked in and looked around. Natalia noticed her first and walked up to her. "Hermione, I hope you rested well."

"Very, thank you. How about you?"

"Well enough."

"I just talked to Harry. How is our patient?" Hermione walked over to Max and examined him, taking note of his complaints and his complexion. "Max, where do you hurt today?"

"My head, my back, and my tummy. Where's Harry?"

Natalia met her gaze. "He recognized Harry from the books he's had since he was born. 'The Boy-Who-Lived' is a hero everywhere, you know." Hermione nodded in understanding.

"Well, Max, I'm going to run get you some medicine to take care of your pain, but I'll hold off on the sleep potion for now. Harry had to go into work for a while and fight off the bad guys."

Max grinned. "Did you meet my daddy?"

Philip stood up. "I don't think I've 'ad the pleasure." He waited until she sterilized her hands before kissing her hand, proclaiming, "_Je suis e__nchanté de faire votre connaissance_."

Hermione laughed lightly. "_Le__plaisir est pours moi, monsieur._ Now, to all parents and grandparents involved," Hermione started, glancing at both sets of grandparents and parents, "are there any questions for me? I'll be in and out again today, working on the vaccine and checking on my other patients, but I'll be available any time." Now for the part she hated. "I hate to do this, but for Max's and your safety, only two of you need to stay with him at the same time. It helps him relax, and the virus isn't as likely to be passed around with only a couple in here. You can decide among yourselves who will stay during the first shift. Max will be sleeping in a couple of hours."

As she gave Max his potions, she heard the quiet discussions, and finally the decision was made to allow Philip and Natalia, Max's parents, the right to stay with him full-time. The others would come in for short visits throughout the day, and the grandparents would switch up the nights until the boy was well again. That taken care of, Hermione readied herself to go back to the lab, _and Charlie_, she thought, but as she was walking out, Natalia caught her.

"I'm going to get a cup of coffee, so I'll walk you back to the lab." Hermione nodded and the two walked quietly for a bit until Natalia broke the silence.

"So, you and Charlie, huh?"

"What makes you think that?" Hermione could feel her blush.

"Well, besides the fact that your face just turned the color of Harry's when I embarrass him at the office, it's just that the man looked almost angry when he saw Harry run to me yesterday. Plus, I've seen how the two of you have worked together the last two days…"

"And plus, Harry can't keep his mouth shut." Hermione laughed.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I did tell Charlie about the fake relationship yesterday. He thought Harry was cheating on me, and he wasn't happy. We _do_, in fact, work together wonderfully. And, yes, I knew when Harry snuck in my office last night. He's a terribly spy. Don't know how he passed that part on his auror exam…"

"He's good when he wants to be." Natalia gave her a sly grin as she reached the coffee pot.

"That is not something I want to hear about my best friend, Natalia. Now, if you'll let me get to my job…"

"And Charlie…"

"And Charlie, I… Oh, you sneaky little…"

Natalia laughed as she wandered back down the hall. "Hey, I have to get my laughs where I can find them these days."


	6. Finding Cures

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**_

_A/N: This chapter is much shorter than most of mine, but I liked where it ended. I have more ideas! I promise!  
_

* * *

Natalia stretched out on the couch in her son's room and looked over at Philip. The blonde Frenchman was dozing in the recliner on the other side of the room, tired from sitting up beside their son for so long. She wished she had insisted that he go get some rest with his wife and parents, but she knew that he would have fought her on that.

Philip Norton loved his son more than anything. Natalia knew that should he and Clarise have more children, Max would still be a vital part of Philip's life. Clarise also loved Max; the toddler looked forward to visits with his father and stepmother for days in advance. Natalia sighed; she hoped she could find someone who fit her and Max's life as well as Clarise fit Philip's.

Her mind drifted back to Harry. Max had taken to the raven-haired auror quickly, recognizing him almost immediately from his books that he'd been read since he could talk. However, after the initial hero-oriented questions, Max had warmed to Harry-the person. Harry had never made it a secret that he wanted a family one day; he felt as if he had missed out as a child by never having a true family, and he wanted to make up for it as an adult. The way he interacted with her son gave Natalia hope for the future; her feelings for Harry James Potter were no passing fling. She was head-over-heels in love with him.

"Natalia? 'ow are you feeling, _mon amour_?" Philip walked over to her couch and sat down, putting her feet in his lap.

"I'm okay; ready for our little boy to get better. You need to get some rest, Philip." Natalia looked at her ex-boyfriend critically, noticing the bags under his eyes. "You look exhausted."

Philip laid his head on the back of the couch. "I've been better, but eet's not every day _mon garçon petit_ decides to catch a dangerous virus. 'ow is zis healer, zis Granger?"

Natalia smiled. "Hermione's great. Works too hard at times, but she's brilliant. She's Harry's best friend; they've known each other since their first year at Hogwarts. They fought Voldemort together."

The blonde Frenchman nodded appreciatively. "She just seemed young; I want zee best for Max."

"Hermione's taken this case personally; when she's not in here, she's in the lab working on a vaccine for those with the virus. She's barely slept in weeks."

"How's zis 'arry fellow? Do I need to threaten 'im?" Philip raised an eyebrow.

Natalia laughed. "Harry's wonderful. I actually didn't tell him about Max; he followed Hermione here when he heard that a child had fallen ill to the virus. He was very surprised to find me here with a child. However, when he left for work a couple of hours ago, that was the first time he's left since yesterday morning."

"Sounds like a good fellow."

"That he is."

* * *

Hermione was at a standstill. Every sample had been tested, yet she didn't know what the hell she was missing.

"Charlie, what am I doing wrong?!"

Charlie lifted his head from the report he was writing for the ministry. "Hermione, you're not doing anything wrong; we're just missing something." He stood and walked over to the stressed healer, taking her in his arms. "You'll figure it out."

Hermione leaned into his embrace. "I just feel overwhelmed. I really don't like not knowing what's going on, and right now, I haven't a clue!"

"Do you think Dumbledore let this stop him when he worked on his own cure a while back?"

The brunette stood more straightly in his arms. "What did you say?"

"In 1991, the year I graduated from Hogwarts, Dumbledore made it his own pet project to perfect the Dragon Pox vaccine. Haven't you heard this?"

Hermione shook her head. "I thought Gunhilda of Gorsemoor developed a cure in the 16th century. I mean, I know it didn't eradicate the disease, but…Dumbledore?"

Charlie laughed a bit. "I know something you don't?! Yeah! Dumbledore felt that he could better the vaccine, so he took the project on my seventh year at Hogwarts. He probably was still working on it when you lot began the next year."

Hermione chewed her lip, distracting Charlie a moment until he heard her say something. "What'd you say?"

"Who was helping him?"

"Oh, I don't know. I'm sure Poppy had her hand in some research, and I can imagine Snape helped with some potion work."

"Well, Snape's out of the question, but if I could talk to Poppy…"

Charlie thought a moment. "And you can always speak to Dumbledore and Snape's portraits. They might be able to at least point you in the right direction."

Hermione grinned. "And this is why we work together!" Kissing him quickly, she put a stasis charm on her potions; she then ran to check on Max before preparing for her trip to Hogwarts. She stopped at the door, turning to look at him. "Well, are you coming?"

"Right behind you, love," Charlie replied with a goofy grin on his face, grabbing his coat and following Hermione out the door.

* * *

Madam "Poppy" Pomphrey, healer at Hogwarts, was alerted by the headmistress of her visitors. Thankfully, because it was summer, there were no students in the hospital ward; she was preparing for next year by stocking potions for the many injuries and maladies that were sure to come through her doors.

"Madam Pomphrey?" Poppy looked up to see two students she had seen entirely too much while they had been attending Hogwarts; however, she missed them the moment they had left, especially the one addressing her.

"Hermione Granger! How are you?" The healer hugged the former student and her fellow healer tightly. Letting her go, she turned to the red-headed gentleman beside her. "Charlie Weasley. Can't quite forget you, can I?"

"Well, between Bill and me, you did stay rather busy, and then we left you with the twins and Ron."

Poppy laughed. "Too true. I found, though, that you and Harry Potter were more similar than you and your brothers; two seekers who had their own beds here in the infirmary. Also, you didn't go finding trouble; it always seemed to find you."

Charlie shook his head. "Well, when you're a Weasley, it does seem to do that!"

Hermione wrapped her arm around Charlie's waist, looking up at him. "He is quite a bit like Harry; I wish I had known him in school. The twins and Ron were enough trouble; maybe a sane Weasley would have given me hope."

"What about Ginny?" Charlie asked, wrapping an arm back around her.

"Well…she did go a little boy-crazy there at the end. We had Dean, Michael, Harry…"

Charlie put his free hand over her mouth. "I need not hear more. Not with her off playing Quidditch. I don't want to know what my little sister may or may not be up to."

Poppy laughed at the two. "As much as I'm enjoying myself, I understand that you're here on official business?"

Hermione immediately sobered. "Yes, ma'am. We have a new strain of Dragon Pox going around, and we can't find how it's getting passed around, nor can we find the missing link to create a new vaccine."

Charlie filled in, "I remembered earlier that Dumbledore, Snape, and you had been working on a cure for the original virus while I was here. We were wondering if there was possibly any research or anything else you could share that could help us with our own vaccine."

Poppy thought for a moment. "We were working on this, and Dumbledore spent your entire seventh year pulling his long white beard out over that potion. He wanted to perfect what had been created centuries ago, and he wanted to make sure that no one else ever died from Dragon Pox."

"Well," Hermione replied with a sad frown, "we've lost five already. The original potion, the one Dumbledore finalized, seems to help with the fever and pain, but not as well as it should. Also, the patients' skin is turning a grey color instead of green and purple, and their eyes are changing to a bright orange color. I've had two, two of the ones who've died actually, completely lose their eyesight because of this. Three more of them have developed the orange pigmentation, the last being a child who was brought in yesterday. His has developed more quickly because of his size, and I besides pain and fever potions, I don't know what else I can do for him!" Tears had begun to stream down her face during her explanation, and Charlie tightened his hold on Hermione.

The school healer waved the couple into her office. "I have the books and records of what we found while working on the present potion. We had the same problem you're having now; we had no idea where the virus was coming from, and it was stronger than previous strains. The purple rashes on the skin were actually a new development when Dumbledore, Snape, and I began our research."

Hermione looked through the books Poppy handed her. "Do you know if Professor Snape kept records in his dungeons?"

"They're actually in here. I'll give you everything I have, but you may want to go speak to their portraits; they may have some additional information."

Charlie nodded. "Poppy, just one more question: what would cause a common virus to mutate and travel like this one has?"

"It could be a number of things, but wasn't your dragon reserve just established in London?"

Hermione looked at Charlie before answering for him. "Would proximity affect the disease?"

"Oh yes. The other strains were brought in from other reserves, but it was limited to a few people. Once we cut their contact off from everyone else, the disease was localized to just them. However, if the source of the disease is close…"

"New cases will continue to pop up. With the dragon reserve so close, and owls and other animals moving in and out, the disease is bound to be carried out." Hermione's mind was moving exponentially fast.

Charlie was catching up. "And with the new species of dragons we've been breeding, especially since the last potion has been developed, the disease has surely mutated since! All we need to do is modify the potion to fit the new dragons!" He was excited. "Now I know why you love to do this, Hermione."

In her excitement, Hermione grabbed Charlie and kissed him thoroughly, causing him to almost forget what it was they were even at…wait…where were they again?

"Ahem…" Poppy smiled as the couple broke apart, a dark blush covering both their cheeks. Arthur and Molly Weasley would be proud. "Now that we've found the cause, if I were you, I'd go talk to Dumbledore's portrait, maybe even Snape's, and ask them for any additional information they can give you."

Hermione nodded. "That…um…that sounds logical. Thank you for everything, Madam Pomphrey."

"Poppy, Hermione. I think you've earned it. And tell Harry and Ron that I miss seeing them around here!"

The girl grinned. "I'll do that! Thank you again, Poppy."

"Good luck, you two."

After a conversation with Dumbledore and Snape, they finally gleaned that they just needed a sample of dragon skin from each new species of dragon that lived at the new reserve. Charlie ran immediately to the owlery to send word to the reserve to gather the samples for the potions.

Hermione graciously thanked all three headmasters, and McGonagall hugged her, making her promise to visit more often. After promising, she waited for Charlie at the front door before the two made their way to Hogsmeade and apparated to St. Mungos.

The couple made their way to Max's room first, wanting to check on the little boy who had captured everyone's heart in just a day. What they found was a much different scene than what they were expecting.

Natalia's head was lying on Harry's shoulder, and he was holding his girlfriend while she silently cried. Philip had his head in his hands, and his back was being rubbed by Clarise. Both sets of grandparents were standing outside the room, but the tension was thick.

"What's going on?" Hermione rushed to the toddler's bedside and ran her wand over the sleeping child.

Harry looked at his best friend sadly. "He's gone blind, Hermione."


	7. Results

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**_

_A/N: So…I went all sappy in this chapter. Might as well find some insulin before reading!_

* * *

Harry Potter had known Hermione Granger for twelve years, and he could count on one hand the number of times that he had seen the complete despair that had appeared on her face the moment he told her that Max Norton had lost his eyesight, and one of those times was when Voldemort had killed Sirius! He turned to look at Natalia, who just nodded understandingly. He gave his girlfriend another squeeze before standing to approach his best friend.

Hermione was running diagnostics on Max, trying to see what else the disease had affected. Thankfully, only his eyesight seemed to be touched for the moment, but that didn't stop her frantic movements. Harry saw Charlie stand awkwardly at the door, then turn and leave, heading toward the lab. When Hermione finally finished with Max, she held her head up and turned to his parents.

"Natalia, Philip, I need to go talk to the healer who was in here while I was gone, but according to my tests, Max's loss of vision can be reversed if we get to it in time. Thankfully, Charlie and I have had a breakthrough, and the potion should be developed in mere hours if we can get the supplies together."

Harry noticed the slight tremble to her voice as she finished and waved at the parents in the room. With one more gentle swipe at Max's hair, the healer left the room quickly with Harry following closely behind her.

"Hermione!"

The brunette continued to walk, putting as much distance between herself and Max's room as he possibly could. She finally stopped in an empty corridor close to the potion's lab and leaned up against the wall, breaking down. Harry rushed up to her, wrapping his arms around her.

"Hey, hey. It's okay, love. You'll take care of this."

"But Harry, I should have…"

"Hermione! Don't start that! It wasn't your fault. He's sick, and you're not the only healer here. No one in that room blames you, I don't blame you, and neither should you blame yourself. Now, you said you had a breakthrough?"

Hermione nodded. "Charlie and I…wait, where's Charlie?"

"I think he went to the lab. He left while you were examining Max."

His friend's eyebrows furrowed, but she just nodded. "Well, we went and talked to Poppy about the research she, Dumbledore, and Snape did on the original Dragon Pox virus the year before we started Hogwarts. Charlie had remembered Dumbledore researching during that year, and we figured that they might have some information that could help us."

Harry saw a familiar spark in her eyes. "And?"

"And Poppy still had all of the books and documentation! We talked with her, and our best theory is that because the new dragon reserve is so close, the likelihood of the virus spreading is that much higher. When the virus was coming from reserves in other countries, it could be contained. However, now that we have our own reserve, owls and other animals can bring it into the city and into contact with people."

Harry nodded. "So, how would Max have caught it? The other patients could have contracted it through owl post or such, but a toddler?"

"Natalia said that they went to feed the ducks and other birds at Hyde Park at least once a week. Most likely, one of those birds had come from the reserve and was carrying the disease, and Max, being so little, was highly susceptible." Hermione bit her lip, thinking. "You said Charlie left?"

"I think he went to the potions lab. He probably went to get a head start on what you two are working on."

"Probably so." Hermione hugged Harry again. "Thank you, Harry. Natalia's a lucky girl."

"Well…I just hope I can be there for her and that little boy in there."

Hermione nodded. "Just take care of her. I need to go find Charlie and Healer Collins. He was the healer that was on-duty while I was gone." The brunette turned and dashed towards the front desk. Thankfully, Collins was there making notes on a chart.

"Healer Collins?"

Dwight Collins turned to look at the young healer. "Granger! You're back, I see! We had quite the couple of hours while you were gone."

"So I heard. What was your initial prognosis?"

Collins picked up what Hermione assumed was Max's chart. "Well, Mr. Norton's virus has progressed much more quickly because of his size and age. At this rate, we might not have him by tomorrow."

Hermione's eyes widened. "No, Healer Collins! Mr. Weasley and I have found what we need for the potion! We can have him healed and ready to go home in three days!"

The older healer looked at Hermione critically. "Granger, I argued with the director when she wanted to put you over the research for this case. You're too young and emotional! You should still be healing cuts and bruises and spending your afternoons entertaining Gilderoy Lockhart! You're not qualified to do this; you have too many lives in your hands."

"And I can't think of a safer place for them." Hermione spun around to see Charlie Weasley standing behind her. His face was redder than his hair. "My whole family and I owe our lives to this lady, as does Harry Potter himself. If anyone was holding my life in her hands, I'd want it to be Hermione Granger." Turning to face Hermione, Charlie said, "The owl from the reserve has just returned. I left it outside the window to be tested, but it does have the samples we requested."

Hermione grinned widely. "Excellent." To Healer Collins, she just wished him a good day before grabbing Charlie's hand and hurrying down the hall to the lab. The day was looking up!

* * *

Natalia leaned her head back after Harry followed Hermione out of Max's room. She heard Philip whisper to their sleeping son that he and Clarise were going to get something to eat, but they would be back soon. She waved at the couple as they left and closed her eyes.

"So, how close are Harry and Healer Granger?"

Natalia's eyes flew open and met a matching hazel pair. "Mum…"

"Well, it just seems to me that he flew out of here fairly quickly to comfort her while his girlfriend is in here needing his comfort more."

The younger woman shook her head. "It's not like that. Harry and Hermione have known each other since their first year at Hogwarts. They grew up together, and they've gone through a lot in the twelve years that they've known each other. Mum, they defeated Voldemort together! It's kind of expected that they'd be close."

Theresia Pearson nodded. "I can understand that. I still don't like the fact that they live together." Natalia remembered the day she had told her mother that Harry had a female roommate. She had not been happy.

"Trust me, Mum. Hermione is keeping herself busy with Charlie Weasley and her work. She doesn't need Harry to entertain her. Plus, with their schedules, they scarcely have time to grab dinner most nights."

"Okay. I really do like Harry, Nat, and I can see that you and Max have become important to him. I like Healer Granger too; she seems very intelligent and dedicated to her job."

"If she says she's found something to help Max, Max is as good as healed, Mum. Hermione is the reason Harry's still alive." Natalia looked up as Harry walked back in. "How is she?"

Harry gave a slight smile. "A little shaken. She had just received some great news, and then she came back to this. It was a bit much for her to take in."

Theresia stood and made her way to Harry. "Thank you, Harry, for being there for Natalia through this. She needs someone who is as dedicated to his friends and loved ones as you are." Turning back to her daughter, the tired grandmother said, "Do you want a break? Your dad and I can stay with Max while Harry and you go grab a bite to eat."

Natalia shook her head. "This morning, I would have said yes, but after this, I can't leave him. You go on, and just bring me a sandwich or something back." Looking up at Harry, she said, "You need to go home, Harry. You had a long day at work."

Harry shook his head and looked at Theresia. "I'll stay here with them. See you in a bit." Theresia nodded and waved, walking out to meet her husband.

"Harry, you need rest. You haven't been home since yesterday."

"And?" Harry sat down beside her and pulled her onto his lap.

"He's not your responsibility, Harry. You haven't spent the last three years changing nappies, feeding him at three in the morning, chasing nightmares away, and bathing him. There's nothing keeping you here."

When she looked into Harry's eyes, the intensity frightened her. The emeralds that she had begun to fall in love with were gone, and they had been replaced by green flames that were burning her from the inside-out. "Natalia Brianne Pearson, how can you say that there's nothing keeping me here? How can I go home when the woman I love is sitting here, wondering if her son is going to make it through the night?

"Not only that, but believe it or not, I've already fallen in love with that little boy; it didn't take him long at all to worm his way into my heart. I'd love a chance to get to know him, Natalia, if you just let me. Hermione's going to heal him, and he'll see again. Of that, I have absolutely no doubt in my mind. I've always wanted a family; to be honest, I never thought that I'd have one ready-made, but I'm ready to be a father-figure to Max. I know I'll never be 'Dad' to him, but I can be close. I can be the man who loves his mum and him and whatever brothers and sisters we're able to give him."

Natalia was speechless. Harry Potter had just spilled his heart, and she was sitting here with her mouth open, unable to say a word. Finally, she found her voice.

"Harry, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for taking away the opportunity to get to know my son. I wish you had been there for all of the things I listed earlier; it'd have been a hell of a lot easier, and I would have enjoyed it a bit more had you been by my side. Harry, when Max pulls out of this, we're yours. He already loves you too; when you're not here, he's asking for you. You started out as a hero to him, but he's seen past that now. He knows now that you're so much more than that. Philip knows you're not trying to take his place; Max has the room in his heart for two fathers; I just know it."

Harry grinned widely at those words. "I love you, Natalia." He reached up and kissed her softly before adjusting her so that her head rested in the crook of his neck.

"I love you too, Harry."

* * *

Charlie looked up from the book he was reading. "How the hell did Severus ever read his own handwriting? It's atrocious!"

Hermione shook her head and giggled, looking at the text. "Charlie, I hate to tell you, but mine has digressed a bit since I began working here. When you're in a hurry, handwriting is just not that important. Here, let me read it, and you stir."

"Are you sure I'm qualified?"

"You're in here with one who is; you're fine." After reading out the remaining ingredients and finding them, Hermione set out to adjust the potion. Soon, another wide grin took over her face. "I think we've done it, Charlie!"

Charlie continued to stir, but smiled. "Seriously? How will we know?"

Her face fell slightly. "Unfortunately, the only way to know about an experimental potion is to test it. We're not that far from the muggles in that sense."

"Test it…on what?"

Hermione shook her head. "On _whom_. We'll just ask all of the patients or their families, and if we get a volunteer…"

Charlie nodded. "Gotcha. Come on, what color am I looking for?"

"Well, the original potion was green and glossy. I would think it would be a variation of that."

The young healer had sent a letter to each patient asking for a volunteer to test the potion. None had replied yet.

After all the ingredients were added, the two took turns stirring and watching the potion, which took six hours in total to complete. Hermione looked up at Charlie after the first hour.

"Why did you leave?"

"Leave?" Charlie avoided Hermione's eyes.

"In Max's room earlier. I was about to have a breakdown; actually, I did…here in the hall…"

Charlie cleared his throat. "Were you alone?"

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"When you had your breakdown. Were you alone?"

"No, Harry had followed me out; he was worried about me. Okay, Charlie. You can let the potion rest for an hour. We'll pick up stirring on hour three."

Charlie moved away from the potion and sat down beside Hermione. "See, Hermione? While we were in the room, Harry knew _immediately_ that something was wrong with you. I saw him watching you like a hawk! What if I never pick up on that?"

Hermione laid a hand on his arm. "What are you going on about, Charlie?"

"That bloody connection you two have! He knew you were freaking out, but I didn't until it was apparent that he was going to do something about it. I was too late. He had already stepped up!"

Comprehension flooded Hermione's eyes. "Charlie, you're jealous of mine and Harry's _connection_? Love, we've had twelve years to perfect that! Look at what all we've gone through! We had to have some way of helping each other out." Taking Charlie's hand, she looked him in the eyes. "I like you a lot, Charlie Weasley. You're brilliant, strong, handsome, funny, caring, determined, and devoted. I've felt strongly about you for quite a long time, but out of this strange duty to Harry, I've not done anything about it. I'm not glad that Max got sick, but I am glad that this is out in the open now.

"Harry's family to me. He helped me find my parents, who've basically adopted him, just like yours have. However, with my family, it's a close-knit thing, and they love to spoil him like the son they never had."

Charlie laughed. "My family can't exactly say that."

Hermione shook her head. "Exactly. The reason we're so close is that although Harry feels loved and appreciated at your family's home, he's always felt more like an individual when he's around me. He loves both worlds; I just happen to be a part of them both."

Charlie looked at the brunette. "Is there any way for me to be a part of them both, as well?"

"What are you saying, Charlie?"

"I've longed for you a long time, Hermione. I have felt so guilty, thinking that I was wanting the love of Harry's life. Now that I know better, I don't want to waste too much time. I'm not saying we rush into marriage or anything. You're only twenty-four. However, I'm serious about you, Miss Granger, and I'm not letting you go."

Hermione smiled. "How convenient. I'm not planning on leaving."

* * *

The rest of the time flew by, and finally, the potion was ready, its hue the color of mint. Hermione seemed pleased, so Charlie grinned as well. He opened the door to clear the air of fumes.

Right then, a letter flew into the lab. They had a response for the potion test. Hermione jumped up and read it, paling with each line.

"Hermione, who is it?"

The healer turned to Charlie. "Bottle the potion. Bring it to Max's room." Hermione took off running, needing to talk to the exhausted mother immediately. She stopped at the door and composed herself.

"Natalia?" Hermione stepped in and smiled slightly. Natalia was sitting on the couch with Harry's head in her lap.

The mother looked up. "Hermione! How are you?"

"A bit tired, but you should be resting. Let someone else watch a while."

Natalia shook her head. "I can't sleep. I've tried; I finally convinced Harry here to lie down for a bit. Stubborn, he is."

Hermione nodded and pulled out the note Natalia had sent her. "What's this about?"

"I want Max to test your potion, Hermione."

"I sent that letter to you, yes, but I was expecting a response from one of my older patients, not you."

Natalia cocked an eyebrow. "Why not me?"

"It's _experimental_, Natalia. We've modified the original potion, but we don't know anything about this one."

Running her fingers through Harry's wild hair, Natalia smiled. "I told my mum today that if you said you had a breakthrough, Max was as good as healed." Looking up at the healer, Natalia set her jaw. "I meant that, Hermione. I trust you. You are a brilliant witch who helped this guy here defeat Voldemort. You slept in a tent for months, developing plans and apparating your two best friends to places they'd never been, keeping them protected and out of sight, just so Harry could have a chance. I think I can trust you with a potion."

Hermione was determined. "But do you trust me with your son? What about Philip?"

Natalia nodded. "Philip was just in here. We discussed it at length with each other and our parents. We're all in agreement. Max doesn't have long, Hermione, if he doesn't get help. This may be his last chance."

The door opened and Charlie walked in with the potion and a consent form. Hermione held out her hand for both. "Okay, then. If you're positive, as his parents, both you and Philip need to sign this before I give this to your son."

Natalia signed the document and handed it back. Looking at Charlie, she said, "Philip's in the family's room down the hall. He should be awake." Charlie nodded and went down to get the father's signature, coming back a few minutes later. At his nod, Hermione went to Max and ran her wand over him, taking the sedation off of him.

"Okay, Max, I have a potion for you that should make you feel better. I don't know how long it'll take, but just trust me, okay?"

At her voice, a whimpering Max Norton nodded and opened his mouth, swallowing the potion for Hermione. By this time, Harry had awakened and sat up, taking Natalia's hand as they watched. Max finished the potion and drifted back off to sleep. Hermione looked back to her friends.

"Now, we wait."


	8. Healing

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**_

* * *

Hermione walked into the quiet room, expecting to find Natalia or Philip with their son, who was resting peacefully. It was in the wee hours of Monday morning, mere hours after Hermione had administered the test potion to Max. She had kept a close eye on him all night; of course, she had watched her other patients, but none as closely as her youngest. Her supervisor knew this, and because of the current unknown results of the current potion, Hermione had full permission to focus on Max Norton.

As her eyes adjusted to the dark room, she found a familiar shadow on the couch. Natalia had finally convinced Harry to go take a nap in Hermione's office at around one a.m., but obviously he had come back and forced his hand with her. Hermione walked over to him and sat on the edge of the couch beside where he was resting.

"Harry?" She nudged him and smiled as his eyes squinted open.

"Hermione?" His eyes widened. "Is everything—? Oh, God, I said I'd…"

"Harry, Harry! You're fine! I just came in to check on him and decided to speak to you. Calm down. You need the rest; you all do. You send everyone away?"

He nodded. "Natalia and her parents are in your office, if that's okay. Lia's going to transfigure one of your chairs and let her parents take the cot in the back. Philip, Clarise, and his parents are in the family room. I told them all I'd let them know if anything happens."

"Nothing has changed. I'm letting him sleep through the night, allowing the potion to take effect. If it's anything like the original potion, although he may already show signs of improvement, full effect won't be reached for another two hours anyway, so I'd like to be safe and let him sleep."

"I can see the logic in that. Where's Charlie?" Harry looked behind her.

Hermione smiled. "I forced his hand as well. He has to report in at both the Ministry and the reserve later today, and he was dead on his feet. I finally made him go back to his flat and get some sleep."

"Hermione, love, you're not in any better shape." Harry sat up and took in his best friend. Her brown hair, just long enough to be put up, was in a bun on the back of her head, held up with a pencil. Her eyes, a mocha-brown with flecks of gold, were shadowed by dark circles that lingered under them, giving evidence to her exhaustion. Unless she had applied it at the hospital, there was no make-up on the young healer's face, but she had never needed it anyway. Harry reached out and grabbed her hand. "Will you promise me that you'll go to bed at seven, after you come in here and wake up Max?"

Hermione took a breath and looked like she wanted to argue with Harry but decided against it and nodded. "Fine." Standing up and kissing Harry's cheek, she continued, "I'm only agreeing though because Charlie's already threatened to get Molly up here on my arse if I don't anyway, so you don't scare me." She went to Max's bed and checked the little boy's stats before Harry could reach her.

"I do worry about you, Hermione. What if Charlie doesn't take care of you like I do?"

"You? Take care of me? Harry James Potter…" Hermione smiled as she wrote down Max's numbers on his chart, happy with what she was seeing, "…if I recall, I've always taken care of you."

Harry chuckled. "And who's cooked your meals for you since Hogwarts? Who has done your laundry since you, the so-called 'brightest witch of our age,' cannot tell the difference in laundry detergent and bleach."

Hermione sighed. "You, oh domestic one! And what's this about Charlie 'taking care of me'? We don't even know what we are yet!"

"Come on, Hermione. I went in your office last night. You two are pretty comfortable with each other. Plus, that guy's been eyeing you since he found out that Ron had moved out of the flat. He's just never acted because he thought that Ron had a thing for you right after Hogwarts, and then afterwards...well, when Ron moved in with Leslie, the rumors had started flying by then… You know, your interest hasn't ever been _that_ subtle, especially to me." Harry grinned.

Hermione blushed and stuttered. "It…I…It wasn't like…I was supposed…"

"Love, you did your job perfectly. It's time to drop this façade and step out separately; we're adults now. We can't hide behind each other any longer."

"You're right." Hermione made her way back over to Harry. "I really do like Charlie; I have since the war ended." Sitting down back down in the spot Harry had made for her, she smiled and said, "Max's fever's gone, and from his facial expressions, I can see that his pain has lessened quite a bit. The grey sheen to his skin is going away bit-by-bit. Now, we just have to wait and see about his vision. I think, if he does get it back, he may not get it back as strongly as he had it. He may need glasses or some other corrective alternative."

Harry tapped his glasses. "Nothing in the world wrong with that. How are your other patients?"

"Needing this potion. I've been in the lab figuring out alternatives in case this doesn't work, but this is my most viable option." Looking at Harry with tears in her eyes, she sighed. "This has to work, Harry."

Harry wrapped his arms around his best friend. "It will. Everyone here has the utmost faith that this little boy is going home tomorrow, and it will be because of you."

* * *

Two hours later, Natalia was pacing around the hall outside of Max's room, waiting on Hermione. Harry had not had to come and wake her up; she had found her way back by six o'clock and found Harry sitting by Max's bed. For the last hour, the two sat side-by-side and watched the little boy sleep, sending silent prayers up for his healing.

Hermione was making her way to the room just as Charlie arrived. The healer smiled when she caught sight of the dragon tamer.

"Charlie! I didn't expect you back here this early!"

Charlie surprised Hermione and grabbed her up in a hug, feeling her relax in his arms. "I woke up at six and couldn't fall back to sleep, so I took a long shower and decided to come back here and see about our boy," and adding in a whisper, "and _my_ girl. You planning on going home after this?"

Hermione sighed dramatically, but leaned her forehead on Charlie's chest to hide her blush at being called 'his girl.' "Gods, Charlie, if you and Harry don't stop…I promise I'll go home! My boss called up and said if this potion worked, I could have a week off. Not that I'll take the entire week…" She felt herself pulled away from the firm torso she had been enjoying.

"A week? That's brilliant! You need the break!" Charlie looked at Hermione as if _he'd_ received the vacation, not her.

Natalia caught sight of the two and made her way up the hall. "Hermione! There you are! Harry said this morning that you told him that all the other symptoms seemed to be waning. Is that true?" The young mother's face was radiant with hope.

Hermione nodded and pulled away from Charlie, who held tight to her hand. "That's right. When I checked him at five this morning, his fever had all but left, and it seemed that his pain was gone. The grey tone to his skin was fading. I'm going in now to examine him again, and then we'll bring him out of sedation and go from there."

"How many people can be in the room? I don't want him to be overwhelmed."

Hermione thought for a moment. "Well, my supervisor is on her way, so with her, me, Charlie, you, Harry, Max's father and stepmother, and his grandparents, that's eleven people in the room. The room's big, but not that big. I'd like for me, Healer Malone, you, and Philip to be in the room when Max wakes up; everyone else can come in afterwards."

Natalia nodded understandingly. "I figured as much. I'll go let them know while you examine Max." She stopped and suddenly grabbed Hermione and hugged her. "Thank you so much, Hermione. Thank you for letting Max test this potion. We might not have him today if you hadn't."

Hermione returned the embrace, dropping Charlie's hand for the moment. "No one deserves it more." Pulling back, she looked in Natalia's teary eyes. "I've always made it my purpose to take care of my friends; Harry's evidence of that. If you ever need anything else, ever again, you know where I am."

Natalia grinned. "Same here. Now, let's go wake up my little boy."

* * *

Natalia watched as Hermione finished examining Max, and she breathed a sigh of relief as the healer shot her a smile as she finished.

"Everything looks great from here, Healer Malone. Ready to take him out of sedation?"

The older woman nodded. "Let's see how this potion of yours has done, Healer Granger. Go ahead."

Waving her wand over Max, Hermione mutter the counter-spell. Soon, Max began moving around, his hand reaching for something in the air. Natalia and Philip both unconsciously moved closer, watching their son with bated breath.

Finally, his eyes opened, and Natalia wanted to jump for joy when she saw her own bright hazel eyes looking back at her.

"Mum? Daddy?" a small, hoarse voice whispered.

Natalia caught herself before she grabbed her son up and spun him around. "Yes, sweetheart, it's us. Can you see us?"

Max's face suddenly broke out into a grin. "I can! I can see you!" His head turned to Hermione quickly. "Healer Granger! I can see!"

Hermione had tears running down her face, but she was trying to stay composed and professional. "I see that, Max! If you'll hang on a sec, I'm going to give you one more potion, and then your mum and dad can finally hug you like they're wanting to over there." Hermione checked Max's vision quickly, determining just as quickly that his vision wasn't affected long enough for intense care. She'd leave further evaluation of his eyesight up to a more experienced healer in that field.

Giving the boy his last dosage of potion, Hermione smiled. "Well, Mr. Norton, it looks as if you're officially on the road home. Healer Malone will have to examine you herself to make a determination, but as far as I'm concerned, the Dragon Pox is as good as gone!"

Natalia took another step forward. "May I…?"

"Go ahead, Natalia. You can hold him all you'd like." With that, both Natalia and Philip lunged forward, but Philip allowed Natalia to gently pick the little boy up and wrap him in her arms, treating him like a precious gift. Philip sat down beside them on the bed, running his hands over the boy. Natalia had just handed him over to his father when the door opened and the rest of the family poured in.

Natalia smiled at and hugged her parents, but they weren't the person she was looking for. Finally she saw a head of messy black hair near the door. She hugged Clarise and inched her way to the door.

"Harry…"

"You have your little boy back." He moved forward and hugged her gently. "Congratulations, love."

Natalia looked into his green eyes. "Harry, what's going on in that messy head of yours?"

Harry smiled and shook his head. As he was about to speak, he heard a voice behind him. "Oh, he's just going to act the hero and back out before anyone gets hurt or some shite like that." Harry turned to see Charlie leaning against the door. "He's been sitting out here and thinking things over, and he's had some realization. Don't worry about it, Natalia. Hermione can tell you all about it. However, she'll have to do it at another time; I'm about to…ah, here she is." Charlie's eyes brightened as the healer made her way towards the trio. "Ready to head for home, Hermione?"

Hermione looked between Harry and Natalia as she wrapped an arm around Charlie. "Um, sure. What's…?" she began, looking up at Charlie.

Harry waved her off. "Just me being me. You go rest, Hermione. I'll talk to you later. Enjoy your week off at home. I'll be home later."

The brunette looked suspicious of the behavior, but she nodded. "Fine. I normally would argue, but I'm too tired, and Malone's already threatened me again. I'm going home and falling into bed."

Charlie nodded. "I'll make sure you get home safely. Come on, love." Looking at Harry, he stared him down. "You two need to talk. Spend some time with Max, then you need some time alone."

Harry gave a weak salute. "Yes sir." He and Natalia silently watched the couple walk down the hall to apparation point before turning to each other. "I'd better go call into work, tell them I won't be in."

Natalia shook her head. "No. Come on in, see Max, and then go to work. I'll spend today with him, and then we can go somewhere tonight. If you want to go call in, go home and sleep. You didn't get much last night. Obviously, you need to think something through again if you're having doubts about us."

"Lia…"

"No, Harry. Come see Max. We'll talk tonight." She reached up and pecked him on the lips. "Remember though, I love you. And you love me. Forget, for a moment, what the wizarding world thinks and believes."

With that, she turned and walked to Max's bed, and the boy reached up, hugging his mother tightly. Harry sighed and walked over, smiling brightly for Max, who talked excitedly to Harry for a long while until the auror made his excuses and left for work. There was no way he could go home right now. He had entirely too much on his brain to try and sleep at the moment.

* * *

"What time do you have to be at the Ministry?" Hermione looked up at her escort as she set about unlocking her front door.

Charlie didn't hear here at first, too busy watching her. Finally, he realized she had been speaking to him. "Huh? What'd you say?"

"Are you sure you need to go in today? You haven't been sleeping either, Charlie. You didn't leave this morning until two, and you were up again by six. Maybe you need a few days off."

"I'm fine. I'm going to go report in at nine, and then I'll head home for a kip. I still have some take-out in my fridge that needs to be eaten. I tell you, it's been a long two days!"

Hermione laughed. "That it has." She opened her door and stepped in. "Come on in; we can find something for breakfast, if you'd like. If I'm expected to cook, though, we'd be better off with cereal."

Charlie shook his head as he followed her. "How about this: you go take a shower and get changed, and I fix us up something to eat? I did promise I'd show you my cooking skills."

"That you did. Fine; I'll go shower. Be out in a bit." Hermione reached up and kissed Charlie on his cheek before moving down the hall, leaving the dragon tamer staring after her before shaking himself out of his daze and moving to the kitchen.

Thirty minutes later, Charlie had fixed a simple breakfast of eggs, toast, and bacon and had set the table. He had heard the shower shut off ten minutes earlier, but so far, no Hermione. He walked down the hall and saw the bathroom door open, so he knew she was done. Chancing a peek into her room, he laughed a bit at what he saw.

Hermione had been brushing her hair out, but apparently she had discovered how soft her bed was in the process and had leaned back for a quick rest. Exhaustion had taken over, and she was now asleep with the hairbrush still in her hand. Charlie snuck in, pulled her covers back, and tucked the young healer in. He returned to the kitchen and, after fixing himself a quick sandwich, put the rest of the food under a warming spell. He wrote Hermione a note telling her where her food was and that he had left. Charlie also left her word that he would be back with take-out for dinner.

* * *

Natalia stretched out on the couch in Max's room, content. Max was taking a nap, Philip and Clarise had gone to find a hotel room with Philip's parents, and Natalia's parents had gone home. Now that the danger had passed with Max, they were all content to let Natalia stay with him by herself. Philip and Clarise told her that they'd be back that night where she could go out with Harry for a couple of hours.

_Harry…_ She wondered what had happened with her boyfriend. Just that morning he'd been attentive and loving, and suddenly, he had distanced himself for no obvious reason. She had to talk to him and straighten this out.

"Mum?" Natalia looked up and saw Max sitting up looking at her. She stood and walked over to the bed.

"What is it, love?" She ran her hand through his tangled hair.

"Lay with me?" Natalia nodded and picked him up, wrapping the little boy up in her arms and lying back down on the bed with him. Max snuggled in beside her and looked up at her. "Where's Harry?"

This is what she was afraid of. She prayed that she and Harry could work everything out because if not, she had one attached little boy already, and he had only known Harry one day.

"Harry's at work. He said he'll be over to see you when you go home tomorrow." Deciding she'd better go ahead and get another discussion out of the way, she said, "Daddy's going to come stay with you tonight here at the hospital."

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to see Harry; we have some things we need to talk about."

Max looked confused. "Is Harry going to be my new daddy?" He looked close to tears for a moment.

"Answer me this." Natalia liked allowing Max to figure things out himself. "Is Clarise your mum?"

"No…you are."

"Who is she to you?"

"She's my Rissy… She's just married to Daddy."

"That's right. So, if I'd marry Harry…"

Max's eyes lit up. "He'd just be my Harry, not my daddy!"

Natalia nodded. "I'm not saying Harry and I are getting married any time soon though, okay? We're just getting to know each other right now. He can be your friend, though." At Max's nod, she asked, "You wanna read a story? Daddy brought some books by." The rest of the afternoon, mother and son read various stories together and talked about many different things. Natalia couldn't have been happier, at least at the moment. She'd decide about the rest after talking to Harry later.

* * *

Hermione and Charlie were having a great time, eating left-over Thai food and discussing Weasley family antics when a knock sounded on Hermione's door. Harry had not stayed long, Floo'ing to Ron's to get ready for his date with Natalia. He knew that Hermione would question him about his actions from the hospital, so he wanted to avoid her until after talking to his girlfriend. However, the person on the other side of the door had other plans.

Natalia standing on the other side of the door shocked Hermione, but not enough not to invite her in. "Come on in, Natalia. Harry's not here; he's getting ready at Ron's house."

The other girl nodded. "I figured he'd avoid you tonight. That's actually why I came here." Looking around Hermione, Natalia blushed slightly. "I didn't realize you'd have company. I'm sorry, Hermione, Charlie."

Charlie shook his head. "Nonsense. I just brought dinner over. I believe you've been on the receiving end of Hermione's cooking before. Can't let her starve, can we? I'll be in the living room finding something to watch on the telly." Charlie smiled at the two as he took a take-out carton and walked out of the room.

Natalia sent a pained smile to Hermione. "I really am sorry. I didn't think about him being over here tonight."

"It's okay, truly. I told you, I'm here if you need me, and I'm assuming you need help with my idiot best friend."

"And your assumption would be correct." The two women moved to sit at the table. Natalia continued. "I'm supposed to meet him in twenty minutes, and I still am confused about his attitude. He was wonderful this morning when I got to Max's room at six; he was attentive, loving, excited about Max being better. However, when he came back in after Max woke up, he was distant and reserved. I asked him what was wrong, and Charlie mentioned that he had probably sat outside and overanalyzed something. Decided to be a hero…Then he told me to talk to you."

Hermione nodded. "Harry has a 'saving people' thing. He's probably thinking that you'll be 'better off' without him or something. You know that once you two appear in the wizarding world together, that you'll be accused of breaking Harry and me up, right?"

Natalia nodded sadly. "I know that. However, I also know that if you and Charlie go out…"

"Very true. We've been making plans for this week. Maybe if we go out together one night? That may alleviate some of the bad press. I have to go to Charlie's parents' house tomorrow night for dinner, but other than that, it's up to you. But Natalia, Harry's worried about you, but he really doesn't want Max hurt. Harry's wanted a family for so long, and to hurt Max…."

"I've seen that. We'll keep Max under wraps for now."

"Actually, I was thinking that we should get him out as soon as possible. Harry and I have avoided the press for too long; we need to start being honest."

Natalia agreed. "I understand. Maybe we can take Max out to dinner with us somewhere public. It's best to get this out before he starts school."

Hermione chuckled a bit. "At least he doesn't look like Harry or you that much. They won't think that he's Harry's."

"That's true." Natalia looked up. "Thank you, Hermione. I'm glad you were here. I think I can meet Harry now. Talk some sense into his thick head."

"Ha! Well, then, you're a better woman than I am." She walked Natalia to the door and hugged her. "One thing, Natalia."

"What's that?"

"Take care of him. I may not be dating the guy, but I still love him, and I always will."

Natalia nodded. "Of course. He loves you too, you know?" Backing up, she called out, "Bye, Charlie!"

"Bye, Natalia!" echoed from the living room.

The two women laughed as Hermione waved at the retreating figure of Natalia. She felt Charlie come up behind her and wrap his arms around her.

"She okay?"

"Oh yeah, she's fine. I just hope Harry will be by the time tonight's over with."


	9. Understanding

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**_

* * *

"Harry? You okay, mate?" Ron Weasley had never seen his best friend look as nervous as he did tonight. He hadn't questioned him (too much) when he had first arrived at his and Leslie's flat, insisting that he get ready for his date there instead of his own flat. However, now, after the tenth "Shite!" he'd heard from the bathroom, he'd had enough.

A cleaned up Harry Potter stepped calmly from the loo, but Ron knew better. Motioning his best friend to the living room, he poured both of them a glass of Ogden's and gave Harry a glass. "Okay, Harry, what gives? I thought you and Natalia were doing well. What the hell is up with you tonight? What's happened in the last few days since we last talked?"

Harry gawked at Ron. Despite the fact that Ron wasn't as close to him as Hermione now was, Ron had grown up in the last few years, and as a result, he'd learned to read Harry's emotions _almost_ as well as Hermione could. He was also (along with Leslie) one of the only ones who knew that Harry and Hermione were not a couple and that Harry and Natalia had been dating for almost seven weeks.

"Well, I found out that Natalia has a son…" Harry took a huge gulp of his firewhiskey, regretting the decision immediately as the liquor burned his throat all the way down.

Ron's eyes widened. "A son? Bloody hell…She didn't tell you? Why the hell not?"

"She didn't want to introduce me until she was sure that we were going somewhere, you know? I don't think she was as comfortable with the whole secret relationship as she let on. She wanted commitment before I could meet Max."

The redhead nodded. "I can understand that. I assume you've met the kid, then?"

Harry sighed. "Saturday, Hermione got home from the office at about eight that morning. She had spent the night there with…a co-worker," he hedged, not wanting to reveal to Ron his brother's relationship with their best friend. "I had called Natalia, cancelling our date where I could force Hermione to stay home. You know how she works." At Ron's nod, he continued. "When Hermione got home, I took her out for a relaxing day. When we got back, there was a note on our door for Hermione telling her that another case of Dragon Pox had popped up."

Harry finished filling Ron in on the situation, leaving the parts about Hermione and Charlie out. They could tell Ron when they were ready, not that he would be upset. Harry just didn't feel as if it were his place to tell. When he was done, Ron stood and moved to sit by Harry.

"Mate, sounds like you've had a rough few days, but leaving Natalia won't help either of you. Seems as if she really cares about you, and I can see that you love her. I wouldn't hate to wager that you also love that little boy already. I think she knows the backlash your relationship can cause, but how about this: you take her out tonight to one of your muggle restaurants, and later this week, we all go out somewhere. We'll even get Hermione a date." Ron grinned at his own brilliance. Harry smiled, but for a completely different reason.

"Sounds like a plan. However, let me get Hermione a date, eh?"

"Don't think I'm qualified?"

"Well, I already have a bloke in mind, and I think she does as well."

Ron's eyebrows rose. "Really now? Our Hermione?"

Harry grinned. "That'd be her. Though she was the perfect girlfriend while we were supposed to be dating, she was pretty happy when we talked and decided to end the charade."

Ron laughed. "I bet. I think she felt a little constricted to be honest."

"Constricted?"

"Yeah, um, you know…I mean, come on, Harry. She hasn't been approached by a bloke in almost four years just because they thought you two were together!"

Harry sat back. "Damn. She mentioned this the other day, but I didn't realize just what she meant. I thought that she was just as happy with our arrangement as I was."

Ron shook his head. "She was, for the most part, I think. I mean, I'm just making observations, mate. She hated being pestered at work because of who she was, and you helped with that. However, women still chased you, despite your supposed relationship with her. All women like some attention thrown their way, and Hermione's no different. You know her self-esteem issues, Harry."

"I know." Harry rubbed his hands over his face. "I know! I've tried to ignore the way Char…" Harry's eyes widened at what he had almost said, and he opened his mouth again to try to repair the damage, but it was too late.

"Char…lie? My brother Charlie?" Ron looked at his friend disbelievingly. Harry nodded weakly. "Charlie has been looking at Hermione…that way?" Harry nodded again. "Has she been looking back?"

"What the hell kind of question is that?"

"Damn it all, Harry! What do my brother and Hermione have going on?"

Harry shook his head. "Ron, my own love life is fucked up enough without worrying about those two right now. I do know that they've been working together. Besides that, you'll have to talk to them."

"Fine." Ron looked at his watch. "Look, it's almost six. You need to meet Natalia, and I'm meeting Leslie at the Burrow for dinner. I'll talk to Hermione and Charlie later."

"Listen," started Harry as he stood to leave, "don't mention that I said anything, okay? It wasn't for me to tell."

"Okay, mate. Just go take care of your own problems. Natalia's a great girl, and I'm sure Max is a cool kid. Take care of them."

"I plan on it."

* * *

Natalia waited outside the restaurant, nervous about her date with Harry. She looked at her watched and noted that he had five minutes to get there before he was late. Just as she lowered her arm, she heard a noise behind her.

"Am I late?" a voice whispered in her ear. Natalia's auror instincts kicked in, and she swirled around with her hand on her wand holster before she caught sight of familiar green eyes glinting from the lights of the restaurant.

"Harry Potter! If you scare me like that again…"

"Sorry, love." Harry took her hand. "I didn't mean to scare you. Ready to go in?"

Natalia nodded, then turned to go inside. However, just as she reached the door, she turned back to Harry. "Could we go for a walk instead? I just want to talk."

Harry visibly gulped, but he then nodded. He took her hand and the two walked toward the small park across the street. After walking a few minutes, Harry stopped by a tree and pulled Natalia close.

"Lia, I'm sorry."

"Sorry?" Natalia looked up into Harry's eyes. "Sorry for what? Having doubts? Gods, Harry, I've had doubts countless times since we began dating. You're bloody Harry Potter! I knew what I was getting into, though, when I accepted that first date. I knew, also, when I met Hermione and you two told me about your 'relationship,' that I might get caught in the crossfire. I heard you two talking that first night."

Harry looked confused. "Talking?"

"You and Hermione. She was trying to get you to end your faux relationship. She knew, Harry, that it wouldn't end well if reporters found out about you and me without our permission. Your best friend, Harry, is a smart woman; she knew that I could be hurt, that you could be hurt. I questioned myself that night, wondering if I was strong enough for you. After getting to know you even better, I knew that I was, but I was still worried about Max."

Harry stopped her. "Love, let me stop you here." He led them to a nearby bench and sat down, pulling her down with him. "I was wrong; I've been talking to Ron, and he showed me that I've not only slighted you, but I've also hurt Hermione as well. By keeping this fake relationship going, I've put too much pressure on you to keep up the appearances. We should be able to go out in public, not just here in the muggle world, but also in the wizarding world. However, now that I've let it go for so long, you could possibly be painted this horrible person, and it'll be my fault."

Natalia tilted her head. "And Hermione?"

"Hermione has been the perfect girlfriend, so to speak. She hasn't dated anyone else the entire time we've kept up this sham of a relationship, yet until Ron really brought it out to me, it never really got through to me as to why she never dated or even tried. She tried to explain it to me herself a few days ago, but…" Harry leaned his head back, staring into the night sky, breathing in the summer air. "No man would even go near Hermione because they've all heard about me. She doesn't come out into the muggle world that much because she's always working, and if she does, she's at her parents', and I'm with her most of the time. Basically, it's my fault that she's been driving herself crazy at work the last few months."

"Harry, no. Hermione is dedicated to her job. Plus, wasn't that the whole point of you two pretending to date? To keep other people away?"

"Yeah, but did it keep you away?"

Natalia shook her head. "I didn't know about your relationship."

"Even after you heard that I lived with another woman…even after you heard about our relationship…in the papers?"

Natalia saw what Harry was saying. She herself had thought of Hermione as a challenge; she had taken it upon herself to prove to Harry that she was 'better' than his best friend, that she could take care of him. "Gods, Harry. I saw her as…"

"Competition, I know. That's what she told me the other day. She told me that other women stepped over her, looked at her as if they could push her aside to get to me. Thought that she was just the 'best friend,' even though we had supposedly been dating for four years. However, men have been afraid to approach her at all because of me, the fucking 'Boy-Who-Lived.' She told me that just once, she wanted someone to want to fight for her."

"She meant Charlie, didn't she?" Natalia smiled slightly.

Harry nodded. "And he would have had he not been a friend already. Hell, the two literally slept together the night before Max was placed in the hospital! They've been dancing around each other for at least a year; every time Charlie'd come home from Romania, I'd find him and Hermione talking off in some corner. And when this Dragon Pox case came up…Merlin, I thought I'd gag if I heard Charlie Weasley's name again! I should have seen it."

Natalia placed her hand on Harry's face. "Harry, you're a good friend to her. You love her, I know; you want the best for her. I was just over there, and Charlie had fed her, and the two were settling in for a night in front of the telly. I hate to say it, love, but you've been replaced." At Harry's smile, Natalia reached over and kissed him slightly. "Now, about _us_."

Harry nodded. "Natalia, I'm worried the papers will hurt you and Max. You don't deserve that."

"Hermione came up with a solution to that, actually. How about later this week, we all meet in public one night and have dinner? You, me, Max, Hermione, Charlie…"

"And Ron and Leslie." At Natalia's confused look, Harry smirked. "We actually came up with the same plan earlier. He just didn't know about Hermione and Charlie. I ended up basically telling him by accident, so he may be over there…"

"Maybe not. Those two need a night to themselves to rest and relax. They don't need a Weasley confrontation. Anyway, I love you, Harry. Max is small enough that he won't know what's going on except that he's hanging out with his new friend Harry." She paused a moment, then added shyly. "You know, he asked me today if you were going to be his new dad."

Harry's eyes widened. "What did you tell him?"

"Well, he wasn't exactly happy. He loves Philip, so, as much as he likes you, he doesn't want a replacement. However, we talked about his relationship with Clarise, and I told him that should I marry you, you'd be sort of like his 'Rissy.' He called you _his_ Harry."

"_His_ Harry, eh? I like that. Max is a good kid."

Natalia leaned her head on Harry's shoulder. "That he is." Suddenly, her stomach rumbled. She felt Harry shaking with laughter under her.

"Hungry?"

"A bit. We missed dinner, and I had a light lunch."

Harry stood up and held his hand out. "Come on; I know of a good diner that is just down the street. We can get something to eat there, and we'll go somewhere nicer later in the week."

Natalia grasped his hand. "I'm following you, Mr. Potter. Lead the way!"

Neither noticed the average-looking muggle outside the diner holding what looked to be a normal camera. However, Harry looked up quickly from his cup of coffee a few minutes later when a car backfired from the alley beside the diner. He shrugged and continued his discussion with his girlfriend, never giving the sound a second thought.

* * *

The next morning, Hermione woke up warm and content, relishing the comfort of getting a full night's sleep. She then realized two important facts: one, that she was not in her bed, but instead on the couch with a coffee table covered with take-out cartons, soda cans, candy wrappers, and bowls of popcorn in front of her; two, she was wrapped comfortably in two scarred arms that could only belong to one person. Hermione smiled to herself and snuggled deeper in the embrace, her movement prompting her human pillow to shift under her.

"Morning." Gods, she loved how his voice sounded when he first woke up.

"Good morning." She inhaled his scent, loving how safe she felt pressed up against his firm torso, covered by a loose-fitting blue t-shirt that matched his eyes. Her pajama-clad legs were stretched out beside his jean-covered ones, and sometime during the night, their legs had intertwined with each other. "So…we missed the end of that movie."

Charlie looked over her mass of tangled brown hair and chuckled. "That we did. Telly shut itself off sometime last night. You know, we're making this a habit."

"What's that?"

"Waking up in each other's arms. Not that I'm complaining, but people might start talking."

Hermione picked up her head a bit. "Talking about what, Mr. Weasley?"

"You consorting with a dragon tamer when you're supposed to be dating Harry Potter. You're not worried?"

"Not a bit. We're not doing anything wrong, Charlie." Hermione laid her head back on his chest. "I love Harry, but he's going to have to man up and take charge of his own life. I want to live my own."

Hermione felt Charlie's arms tighten around her. "And how do I fit in that life?"

"Anywhere you want, Charlie."

"I like it right here pretty well, to be honest."

Just as the two drifted back towards sleep, Hermione heard a tap at her window. She groaned, knowing it was the _Daily Prophet_. She kept receiving it only to keep up with what rumors were being spread about her and her friends. She eased out of a dozing Charlie's arms, smiling as he frowned.

"Don't get up, love."

"Gotta get the paper. If I don't, that owl will never leave." Hermione padded toward the window and opened it, taking the paper off the bird and giving it a treat from the box she kept by the window for that very purpose. She opened the paper to the front page and gasped, causing Charlie to sit up quickly.

"What is it?"

"Harry unintentionally outed us. Look at this." Hermione handed the paper to Charlie, and the dragon tamer took in the picture on the front with the headline "MOVE ASIDE GRANGER! POTTER HAS A NEW FAVORITE FLAVOR!" The picture depicted a laughing Harry and Natalia in what appeared to be a muggle diner, obviously oblivious to the photographer outside. Charlie looked over as he heard an angry growl from the small witch beside him.

"I knew they'd do this to her! I told Harry that we had to end this a long time ago! What are we going to do?"

Charlie eased his arm around Hermione. "What we told Natalia we'd do. We'll go out, all of us, and show them that we're all happy with this situation. It's out now, so we just have to do damage-control. At least they don't know about Max yet."

"That's the key word here: _yet_." Hermione jumped up. "Where is Harry?" She walked down the hall to his room, but found an empty bed. "Bloody Potter! He's probably still with Natalia! Has no idea what he'll face this morning!"

Just then, a knock sounded at her door. Knowing Harry would just apparate in, Hermione stalked to the door, not caring about her disheveled appearance. Jerking the door open, she gaped at the equally surprised redhead on the other side.

"Ronald? What are you doing here so early?"

"Early?" Ron stepped in as Hermione stepped aside for him. "Nine is early for you? Usually, you're up by seven at the latest!"

Glancing at the clock hanging on the wall, she was surprised to see that he was correct. "I guess I just haven't been getting any sleep lately."

Ron nodded. "So Harry said. Did I wake you?"

"No…I—" but she was cut off by another voice.

"Hermione, who was at the—oh." Charlie stopped when he saw his brother in the entryway. "Hey, Ron."

"Charlie. What are you doing here?" Ron asked his brother suspiciously.

"Come on, Ron. Let's go into the living room and talk." Hermione led the two men into the next room, and Hermione blushed as she took in the mess from the night before, as well as the blanket that she and Charlie had fallen asleep under.

Ron looked at the two. "Must have been some party."

"Honestly, Ronald! Nothing happened."

"So, how long has this been going on? I know I'm not observant, but I'd like to think that I'd know when my best friend is dating my brother."

Charlie spoke up. "We haven't actually gone out on a date. We've been working together, and I thought she and Harry were together until a couple of days ago. We talked, and after she told me about their 'relationship,'" Charlie used air quotes for this, "we discovered that we'd actually had feelings for each other for a while. I guess you could say we're testing the waters."

"And you sleeping over is testing the waters?"

"Bloody hell, Ron! We were watching a movie, and we fell asleep on the couch!" Hermione shook her head and sat on the couch, pulling Ron down beside her. "By the way, have you heard from Harry this morning?"

"Actually, I came by to see him. He's not here?"

Hermione shook her head. "I take it you've seen the _Prophet_?"

"Yeah, I've seen it. Be glad you live in a muggle neighborhood and that only a certain few know where you two live."

Charlie picked up the paper, reading the article. "You know, they don't really know that much about Natalia, just that she's a fellow auror. At least they don't know about Max yet, and they probably haven't found where she lives yet either."

Hermione nodded. "Hopefully, the two are at her flat; Max doesn't need this attention after what he's gone through over the last few days." As if suddenly having an epiphany, Hermione jumped up. "I'm going to shower; we need to go out, Charlie."

"Where are we going?"

"To get some of this attention off of Harry and Natalia, and you're the one to help me do it."


End file.
